Lord Voldemort and the Heir of Slytherin
by Chantal du Lac
Summary: When Voldemort finds out that the only person who could represent a true menace to him is still alive, he’s out to get her. Harry will not just sit and watch, especially when he falls in love. But does she really want to be saved?
1. Chapter 1

**LORD VOLDEMORT and THE HEIR OF SLYTHERIN**

During Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts, Lord Voldemort's influence on the wizarding world keeps expanding. But a Death Eater raid on Durmstrang reveals his greatest enemy yet: another heir of Salazar Slytherin - Liliana Karkaroff, of whose existence he was not aware until then. And Dumbledore is keen to use Tom's ignorance to his advantage.

As for Harry Potter, he has to face the fact that he might not be the Chosen One after all. But is he really ready to step aside?

**Main characters: **

**Lord Voldemort/Tom Marvolo Riddle**

**Harry Potter,**

**Draco Malfoy, **

**Severus Snape **

**Albus Dumbledore**

**OC – Liliana Karkaroff**

**Books 6 and 7 disregarded. Character Death, Violence, Alternate Universe**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter. All credit goes to J.K. Rowling for writing those inspirational books. Many thanks to Lisa 725 for betareading this story.

**CHAPTER 1 – Bella's Wrath**

It was a perfect day for Quidditch, Harry thought happily, glancing at the cloudless sky. He was leaning almost carelessly on his Firebolt, his green eyes searching for the Snitch. He knew it was still too early for the Snitch to make its appearance on the field. Malfoy seemed to agree because he was looking rather bored just a few feet away from Potter. From time to time, his eyes would wander in Harry's direction and then move away slowly, a daring smirk on his lips. By now, Harry had become fully aware of Malfoy's Quidditch potential, as well as of his own. He knew Malfoy was very good—probably almost as good as he was—but there was a slight difference between him and Malfoy. And that was the natural talent Harry possessed to be a Seeker, which Malfoy missed. But thanks to his well-built strategies and his natural aggression, Malfoy was getting better each season, and Harry had lost the Snitch to him once the previous year when he was not paying attention. Since then, his reputation for being invincible had been shattered, and he knew he had to be extra careful while playing against Malfoy.

Nevertheless, this beautiful day was making him feel happy, and he had difficulty concentrating. He was smirking back at Malfoy when a sudden breath of cold air swept past him. A well-known feeling began to rise inside his chest, and panic spread quickly through in his body. He saw that Draco had gone just as white as him. They summer sky was becoming increasingly crowded with heavy clouds. And then the first raindrops fell. Harry was feeling sicker with every passing moment, but he continued to sit there rooted, looking helplessly at the grey, heavy sky above them, unable to make a move.

Then he saw it.

It was literally falling from the sky at an incredible speed. He would have never guessed it was actually a person. But it turned out to be a hooded figure on a broom approaching the headmaster's stands at an incredible speed. It swept past Harry and Malfoy and halted abruptly in front of the teachers' stands. The cold was becoming more and more severe. Harry glanced at the sky again and saw dozens of Dementors approaching. They had been closely following the hooded figure.

* * *

Dumbledore signaled Severus Snape to lower his wand as the hooded figure stopped in front of them. Snape's eyes traveled curiously from the headmaster to the new arrival. He'd seen the Dementors approaching, but he managed to keep his composure. Meanwhile, Dumbeldore's eyes had not left the hooded intruder, who had jumped off the broom and dropped the hood away from her face to reveal her identity. Her face was wet with tears, and her black hair was a mess.

"Durmstrang has fallen, Headmaster! And Igor Karkaroff is dead. He sent you this…"

She came closer to the headmaster and handed him what seemed to be a letter.

Dumbledore still hadn't taken his eyes off the girl's face. She, in turn, was watching his own reaction intently.

"Headmaster, they are approaching," said Snape.

Indeed, the Dementors had flown dangerously close. Some were sneaking around the students, but most of them were crushing close to the teachers' stands, following the girl.

"Yes, they have been following me since I left the Institute," she said, giving Snape a sort of appraising look. "And I'm afraid they're not the only ones." She looked back to Dumbledore. "I'll deal with them, if you don't mind, Headmaster."

"Go ahead," Dumbledore said, without the faintest irony in his voice.

"Excuse me," she said to the teachers and drew her wand, pointing it at the Dementors.

* * *

Harry Potter congratulated himself for having his wand on him at all times when he saw a few Dementors circling him. He had never really overcome his fear of them. He was, of course, breaking the rule which stated that wands were not allowed on the Quidditch field, but because his number of confrontations with Voldemort had been growing lately, it would have been madness not to break such a rule. He reached inside his Quidditch robes and drew his wand. The Dementors did not attack him or the other students, though; they seemed to be waiting for something.

Malfoy had now descended towards the teachers' stands. He knew he would be safe there.

Harry looked attentively at what was going on at the stands. The hooded figure had turned out to be some sort of messenger. He wasn't far from the stands, and he could see that he had dropped the hood of his cloak. The intruder was a lean figure with black hair. He turned around to face the Dementors and Harry saw that "he" was actually a young woman. He was stunned when he heard her powerful voice.

"_Expecto Patronum_!"

And a huge dragon of red light was released from the tip of her wand. It was the most beautiful and probably the most powerful iPatronus/i Harry had ever seen. It didn't just sweep the Dementors away; it also seemed to burn through them. The dragon's tail made the Dementors encircling Harry instantly disappear. At once, the cold was replaced by summer warmth, and the sky cleared.

Ron Weasley drew close to Harry.

"What the bloody hell was that?" he shouted at Harry, who was still unable to look away from the dragon returning to the witch.

"Incredible!" he said. "Did you see that dragon?"

"Yes, I actually _did_ see it, Harry. I really think we should go after the others." He pointed towards the other Gryffindor and Slytherin players who had landed, searching for cover.

"You go," Harry said. "I'll be down in a few seconds."

Ron sighed but complied with Harry's request.

The young witch had now returned to resume her talk with Dumbledore. Harry descended close to the tribune so he could hear their conversation.

The headmaster opened his letter and read the first few lines. Then he raised his eyes to look again at the Durmstrang messenger. He frowned, and she averted her eyes.

"I wish we could talk now, but I know that the Death Eaters have followed me. I think that you should get the students out of the field. I don't want to see what happened at Durmstrang here."

"But they cannot Apparate in here," said McGonagall. "There are old spells in place that protecting the school from intruders."

"Who said anything about Apparating, lady?" said the girl, looking troubled. "Here they come now…"

McGonagall opened her mouth for a retort, but the girl had already jumped on her broom and she flew quickly away from the stands. McGonagall and the other teachers looked up and saw seven hooded Death Eaters descending from the skies on their brooms. One of them was not wearing the mask.

It was Bellatrix Lestrange.

"There she is!" she screamed hysterically, pointing at the girl from Durmstrang. "Kill her!"

All the teachers had now taken out their wands, but Dumbledore made a sign towards them.

"Don't!" he said.

"What do you mean _don't_?" said McGonagall, voicing what all the teachers were thinking. "They will kill her!"

"Please, Minerva, wait," he said patiently. "We'll intervene if we have to."

"But there are seven Death Eaters and all the students … and this girl, she cannot be more than seventeen…"

But Dumbledore ignored her and stared with anticipation at the Quidditch pitch, which was now threatening to become a battle field. Students had flown away to find cover. Only Potter and Malfoy had stayed, the latter now hovering close to the teachers' stands. Though they were wearing masks, Draco was still able to recognize his mother and father among the Death Eaters. His aunt looked completely mad with fury as she descended towards the Durmstrang girl, and his parents were making desperate signs to him to get away.

Bellatrix swept past Potter without even noticing him. She stopped in front of the Durmstrang girl, who had flown to meet her midway.

"Time to die," Bellatrix said nastily.

* * *

Harry watched as the Durmstrang girl ascended towards Bellatrix Lestrange. She was an incredible flyer. She had dropped her cloak and was perfectly aligned with her broom, which Harry noticed to be in a deplorable condition.

Lestrange was now facing the girl, who had a fierce expression on her face. He was too far to hear Bellatrix's first words, but he heard the curse.

"_Crucio_!"

But the other one had already reacted: _"Expelliarmus_!"

The rest of the Death Eaters were behind Bellatrix now. Both spells missed because Lucius Malfoy had cut in, pulling his sister-in-law towards him.

"Bella, the Dark Lord will be furious! Let's go!"

But Lestrange was looking like a mad woman. "I don't care. I want her dead!"

"We're leaving," Lucius Malfoy spoke again. "Come on!"

"NO!" Bellatrix shrieked. "Go if you want!"

"This is suicide!" Narcissa Malfoy said a moment later, coming closer to her sister.

"Let's leave, Bella," another Death Eater was saying. This will make the Dark Lord FURIOUS. You are risking your life here!"

"Now, that's where you are wrong! The Dark Lord will be glad if I kill this traitor. You leave!" Bellatrix yelled. "GO!"

"But, Bella…"

"Just GO!"

And they went away quickly, leaving the two women facing each other.

* * *

The moment he saw Bellatrix Lestrange sweeping by on her broom, Harry thought it was time to finish what he had started months ago when Sirius had been killed.

Images of Sirius falling through the old portal in the Department of Mysteries invaded his mind and raw anger raised in his chest.

But Bellatrix wasn't alone. Six other Death Eaters were following her. Harry knew it would be foolish to try to confront all of them at the same time, so he dived to avoid them. But the Death Eaters seemed to have no business with him this time. They were after the messenger, who had left the safety of the teachers' stands to meet them.

_This witch is mad_, Harry thought. He glanced at Dumbledore, prepared to see him or the other teachers join the confrontation, but none of the teachers seemed too eager to leave the stands.

Bellatrix did not seem to play at all. She had started the fight by using an _Unforgivable_. Harry knew that no witch of his age would be able to protect herself from such curses.

He suspected that the Death Eaters would be very eager to get away as soon as possible, too afraid to spend too much time on Hogwarts grounds. They knew Dumbledore had to be close by.

Therefore, it didn't quite surprise him to see the Death Eaters flee. But he was surprised when Bellatrix did not leave with them.

Harry noticed the mad look in her eyes, and he knew that she was ready to kill. Since the teachers were not doing anything to help, he felt he had no choice but to join the fight.

Moving closer to the young witch, he cast a protective shield between Bellatrix and the Durmstrang messenger at the exact moment when Bellatrix threw her second Cruciatus curse. It backfired, but the Death Eater was able to dodge it just in time.

The Durmstrang girl glanced over her shoulder and saw Harry.

"This is no Quidditch game," she told him with a smirk. "Now shove off before you get hurt!"

Harry couldn't believe his ears. He was offering someone help against one of the most dangerous Death Eaters, and instead of being thanked, he was told to shove off. He chose not to listen to the arrogant Durmstrang messenger who would most likely get hurt if he did not intervene.

He cast a second protective shield between the two of them, but Bella was quicker.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" the Death Eater yelled, aiming again at the Durmstrang girl, who avoided the curse by a swift move of her broom.

"Coward! Why won't you fight me?" Bellatrix challenged, as the girl put her wand away.

"Time to end this," she replied coldly. A moment later, she ran her broom into Bellatrix's making the brooms crush together. She clutched mercilessly at Bellatrix's neck.

"Coward, you said?" she muttered in her ear. "No, _Avada Kedavra_ would be too painless for you. You must really feel the pain you caused!"

She hit Bellatrix fully in the face and then forced the brooms to descend together at full speed towards the ground. By now, Lestrange was too dizzy to fight her. They avoided crushing at the last moment, as the girl pulled at the brooms one meter or so above the ground and then pushed Bellatrix off the broom. She kicked the wand out of her hand and reached for her neck again. The expression on Bellatrix's face changed to pure fear as she gazed into those unusual, green eyes.

* * *

Bella had not seen it coming.

Though maybe she should have been more vigilant. You can never be too careful. Proof in point: this Durmstrang student who preferred to use brutal force against magic.

She tried to fight the girl, but after many years spent in prison, Bella was not so fit anymore. She felt as if she were suffocating.

She made a last ditch effort to look up, as her opponent pointed her wand at her. Then she saw the expression in her eyes.

"You", she muttered, taken aback. "You…"

"Yes, NOW you know," the girl said, an unnerving grin curling up her lips. "_Avada_ _…"_

"Don't!" Bella suddenly heard Dumbledore's voice behind them. "It's not worth it. Even if she is a Death Eater!"

Apparently, the old fool had finally decided to show up, and Bellatrix felt relieved.

She knew Dumbledore would not kill her; he would probably just send her to Azkaban. The Dark Lord would come to rescue her eventually. She was, after all, his most faithful follower.

The girl didn't loosen her grip on Bellatrix's neck, not even when Dumbledore's hand gently touched her own.

"It's not worth staining your hands with her blood! Let the Dementors have her!" he insisted gently.

She abruptly released Lestrange. Severus Snape, who had closely followed Dumbledore, forced Bellatrix to her feet, pointing his wand at her.

"She doesn't deserve to live," the girl said angrily. "None of you knows what she did at Durmstrang. None of my colleagues survived."

"I know, Liliana," Dumbledore said, using his most gentle tone in an attempt to calm her down. "But killing her will not make you feel any better."

The girl paced around without looking at Dumbledore. Then she shot Lestrange a look. The Death Eater was trembling uncontrollably and was looking horror-struck.

_Not good, not good_, Liliana thought warily.

"You will take her immediately to Azkaban, then?" she asked Dumbledore.

He nodded firmly, his eyes twinkling. She saw that but preferred to ignore him. Igor Karkaroff had warned her about Dumbledore's bizarre behavior.

"Very well, then. I'll be on my way now," she said and summoned her broom.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2 – ****The Messenger **

As Snape dragged Bellatrix Lestrange away from the Quidditch pitch, people started to gather around Dumbledore and the other teachers. Everyone had watched Bellatrix's defeat from a distance and wanted to see who this newly arrived messenger from Durmstrang was.

Harry landed his broom and made his way through the crowd with great difficulty.

"Have you seen the way she took down the Lestrange woman?"

"Yeah, that was amazing…"

"But the DRAGON!"

"Never mind that, did you see how she punched Bellatrix right in the face?"

"I was too far from them to see that…"

"Was it Potter who cast the protective spell?"

"I'm not sure. It could have been Malfoy."

Harry frowned. He could not understand why the other students were questioning his role in the recently finished confrontation. And MALFOY! When was the last time Malfoy had done anything to help someone else?

_Right about now_, he thought bitterly.

Indeed, the Durmstrang girl, completely ignoring the crowd around her, had summoned her broom, only to realize that it was actually shattered to pieces.

She looked troubled for a moment before she heard Malfoy's voice:

"I can take you to the castle if you want," he said. She turned around and spotted Draco, who had landed his broom not far away from her, as soon as his aunt had been taken away by Snape. He was staring at her, a mischievous smile on his lips.

But Liliana did not have the time to react.

"Miss Karkaroff," she suddenly heard Dumbledore's voice. "I shall require your presence in my office now."

She turned to face him, impatiently. "I really should be on my way now, Headmaster."

"No," Dumbledore said. "I need to talk to you immediately. And since you have traveled eight hundred miles on a broom and just dueled a well-known Death Eater, I think you could talk to me for fifteen minutes before Mr. Malfoy takes you to Slytherin House. Besides, it is too soon for you to travel again. You need to rest."

_What? Slytherin House? But why would Dumbledore put her there?_ Harry asked himself. He watched as Draco's face gleamed with triumph.

"I'll take her to your office, Sir," he quickly agreed. "And then I'll show her the way to the dungeons."

"Very well, Mr. Malfoy. You are in charge of helping our guest to her accommodations. Take her to the castle now."

"Yes, Headmaster." He made a gesture to invite Liliana to mount his broom.

Harry had just managed to get closer to the scene when Hermione Granger caught his wrist.

"Are you OK, Harry? I was scared to death when I saw you getting so close to Bellatrix. And what in Merlin's name were you trying to do up there confronting her? The Death Eaters weren't even after you!"

"I'm not sure, Hermione," he said, watching closely as the Durmstrang girl placed her arms around Malfoy's waist, and they kicked off.

Indeed, he had acted instinctively, as usually. When he had seen Bellatrix, his hatred for her had consumed him. He wasn't thinking rationally. He was, of course, bound by his Gryffindor honor to help someone who was outnumbered. But at the same time, Harry knew that it was also the flow of magic that girl radiated that had made him to jump to her aid without even thinking of the consequences.

"They could have killed you," said Hermione warily. "_Both_ of you."

"Sorry," he voiced, not knowing what else to say.

"She's the most reckless witch I've ever seen," she continued. "I wouldn't want to see you around her again, Harry. Who knows what might happen next!"

"Why would Dumbledore send her to the Slytherin dungeons?"

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know, Harry. Maybe because Malfoy offered to show her around?"

Harry grabbed his broom and said. "Let's go, Hermione!"

"We're not walking? You know how much I hate flying!"

"That's a ridiculous attitude for a sixth year, Miss Granger," Snape said in his silky voice as he swept past them on his way towards Dumbledore.

"Who does he think he is?" asked Harry furiously, glaring after Snape.

"Don't let him get to you, Harry," Hermione said, "that's what he wants."

Harry nodded and turned around, taking Hermione's hand.

"Let's go back to the castle!"

She followed him, wondering what Snape was saying to Dumbledore.

* * *

Snape and Dumbledore were walking side by side towards the castle. The first ten minutes had gone in complete silence. Then Snape suddenly decided to open his mouth.

"Bellatrix Lestrange is being escorted to Azkaban as we speak," he said.

Dumbledore said nothing. He seemed to be enjoying the last moments of the day before sunset.

"Headmaster, aren't you a bit worried about the Dementors? We had that case in which Potter was involved last year, but this time there were dozens of them. I believe that the Ministry is really losing control over them." He shivered at this unpleasant thought.

"We knew it would come to this from the very beginning, didn't we, Severus?" Dumbledore remarked without showing any kind of emotion.

"Yes, but they could be anywhere now. And the Dark Lord could unleash them against us any time."

"Not against you, Severus. You are his most trusted follower, aren't you?"

Snape nodded unhappily.

"The end is drawing near now. It will be over soon, I hope. It is indeed unfortunate what happened at Durmstrang, but it brought Liliana here…"

He stopped abruptly when he saw Snape wincing.

"What's the matter?"

"Liliana? You mean this girl is Igor's daughter? He's always been so secretive about her! Very few people knew he even had a daughter."

The headmaster handed Snape the letter he had just received. Snape unfolded it and read it quickly. When he raised his eyes again to Dumbledore he was dead-pale. _So the old fool was testing her magic. That's why he did not intervene_, was his first thought.

"Do you believe this?"

"I have no reason to doubt it," Dumbledore replied quietly. "Just look at her again carefully and you'll understand why. What I need to do now is to see her as soon as possible, to corroborate the information she has with my own pieces of information. And … I must see her alone," he added, noticing the expression on Snape's face. "Then we'll decide what to do, because this definitely calls for a change of plans."

"Do you think the Dark Lord knows? I mean, do you think the attack was premeditated?"

Dumbledore couldn't repress a grin.

"I doubt it. He merely wanted to get his vengeance against Igor for betraying him. But I believe that this excessive amount of violence involved in the attack wears Bellatrix's personal touch. Voldemort wouldn't have had so many young pure-blood wizards killed. He needs them to rebuild his army."

"Even if the Dark Lord has no knowledge about all of this, he'll be informed about Bellatrix going back to Azkaban. He'll find out how she was taken in. He'll suspect something went wrong during the raid. Therefore, we need to keep an eye on Miss Karkaroff. Put her in Slytherin. I want to be able to supervise her at all times. I'll ask Mr. Malfoy to look after her; she seems to get into a lot of trouble."

"It's not only about keeping an eye on her, Severus," Dumbledore replied. "She needs to integrate quickly. Igor asked in his letter to keep her at Hogwarts and prevent her from fleeing. Apparently, she has always been very independent and has a tendency to take matters into her own hands. And she received the necessary _training_ to do that."

"So I read," Snape said. "But in that case, wouldn't it be wise to…"

As they approached Dumbledore's office, Snape stopped talking abruptly. He had just spotted Liliana waiting alone for Dumbledore. She was wearing a Slytherin cloak and was leaning casually against the wall. She watched them carefully as they drew close to her.

"Liliana, this is Professor Snape," said Dumbledore.

"Hogwart's famous Potions teacher," she said. There was a small smile twitching her lips that made Snape feel that she knew much more than that about him. _Karkaroff must have told her about me_, he thought bitterly.

"Actually I am not the Potions teacher anymore," he replied coldly. "Starting this year, I am the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher."

She shrugged and looked expectantly at the headmaster.

"See you at dinner," Dumbledore said to Snape.

He went towards the stairway going to his office. Snape watched them walking away, Liliana a bit unwillingly.

Harry and Hermione went directly to the Gryffindor common room. For an unknown reason, Harry was having trouble concentrating. He kept playing the afternoon's events again and again in his mind. A feeling of frustration had crawled up inside of him, upon seeing Dumbledore summoning that girl to his office. He had an appointment with the headmaster that very night. This was part of a weekly arrangement, as Dumbledore had decided to reveal to Harry details about Voldemort's past — about his family and followers. But Harry had never managed to ask him the questions that were going relentlessly through his head and which were all related to Harry's part in defeating Voldemort.

And now this girl had arrived, and Dumbledore seemed to be much more interested in talking to her than doing anything else. He was supposed to see Dumbledore before dinner, but the headmaster had walked away with Snape, completely ignoring their appointment. This kind of attitude on Dumbledore's part reminded Harry so much of his fifth year - when the headmaster had ignored him on purpose, in order to keep him out of danger - that the Gryffindor seriously wondered whether the whole nightmare would recommence. Harry had finally accepted his role in the upcoming war against Voldemort. He had accepted he was the Chosen One. And Dumbledore had started to prepare him in consequence. And now, all of a sudden, some Durmstrang student wanted to play hero at Hogwarts… Harry chewed at his lower lip thoughtfully as he entered the Gryffindor room. Ginny and Ron were already there, fighting.

"What's going on?" he asked Dean, as he was suddenly "greeted" by his mates yelling at each other.

"They are fighting over that girl."

Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"I'm not sure. I think Ron said something about her staying at Hogwarts now that her entire school has been destroyed."

"What in the world gave him that idea?" Harry asked.

"Professor McGonagall said that she will probably stay here to finish school. She reckons that the girl's a sixth year too, you know, since she was unable to Apparate…"

Somehow this idea did not appeal to Harry.

"And what's Ginny's problem?"

"She thinks that girl's trouble." Seamus joined the conversation.

"So do I," Hermione said and moved away to sit down on the couch.

Ron stopped yelling at his sister when he realized Hermione had entered the room. Ginny looked over her shoulder at Harry and smiled, forgetting about the argument with her brother. Harry was too preoccupied to smile back. He nodded at her and climbed the stairs to his room. Ron followed him.

"Harry," he said as they entered the boys' dormitory, "I heard some hilarious rumors about what happened this afternoon."

Harry gave him a tired look.

"I am not in the mood to talk about that," he said.

"Do you know everyone says that Malfoy was the one who cast the protective shield against Bellatrix? It's revolting. I wasn't far from you. I saw you do it!"

Harry didn't say anything. Ron continued.

"They also say that there's a romance starting between that Durmstrang girl and Malfoy. Pansy Parkinson must be going mad. Malfoy left her on the Quidditch pitch seething…" He laughed.

"Ron, please," Harry said. "I really couldn't care less about that girl, Malfoy, or Pansy Parkinson."

Ron stopped laughing abruptly.

"What's wrong with you? You just said you icouldn't care less about Malfoy/i! I never thought that day would come. What's going on?"

"It's nothing," said Harry. "I just need to get some rest before dinner. It could have been the Dementors, but I feel tired."

"They didn't touch you, did they?" Ron asked warily.

"No, but the whole thing was…well, tiring. I need to get some rest."

"Okay," Ron said. "I'll leave you alone then." He smiled and walked out of the room.

Harry sighed and lay down on his bed. His head kept swirling with thoughts of what had happened earlier that afternoon. How come Liliana had managed to take down Voldemort's most trusted lieutenant so easily? How powerful was she that she could tackle all those Dementors on her own? Harry's stomach gave an unpleasant lurch when he came to the realization that he had not seen such display of raw power since the confrontation between Dumbledore and Voldemort the previous year. Only that this time around it was an underage witch performing that kind of magic. Of course, the comparison was out of place, since Dumbledore and Voldemort were the most powerful wizards alive; still, there was something about the recent and short display of magic that afternoon that reminded Harry about last year's duel.

Harry looked at the calendar above the door. It was mid-October. If McGonagall was right, this girl would have to become a Hogwarts student and live there for almost two years. He definitely did not like this prospect. _What will Voldemort's reaction be when he finds out about the Durmstrang girl sending Bellatrix back to Azkaban?_ Harry asked himself. Unfortunately, he didn't possess the answer to that question. Wondering if Dumbledore would still see him, he stood up, put on his school robes, and headed for the headmaster's office.

He managed to get out of the common room unnoticed. Normally, he would have put on his Invisibility Cloak; but this time around, he had completely forgotten about it.

He stopped at the entrance to the stairs that led to the Dumbledore's office and took a deep breath. He didn't know whether to ask him any questions regarding the day's events. He had just started to climb the stairs, when he heard someone coming down the steps. A moment later, he found himself face to face with the Durmstrang girl. It was semi-dark, and she was using her wand to illuminate the stairs. She caught his gaze as she passed him by, and he found himself staring in her unusual, emerald eyes. Harry remained still for a moment and let her pass first, because the stairs were very narrow. He caught his breath when her face was only a few inches away from his own. She did not seem to recognize him as the person who had tried to help her that afternoon, and she walked away.

Harry continued to climb the stairs and found himself in front of Dumbledore's door. He was about to knock when the door suddenly swung open and the headmaster came out of the room. He grinned broadly at Harry and grabbed his arm.

"Come on, Harry! Dinner is starting!"

"Er, sir, I wanted to…"

"Not now, Harry. I'll send you word tomorrow afternoon about our next meeting. Let's go have dinner!"

Harry noticed that Dumbledore was in a really good mood. It proved impossible to ask him anything as they walked to the Great Hall.

* * *

When they entered together the Great Hall, Harry noticed that most people were already at their dinner tables. He went towards his own table, seating himself next to Ron. Hermione who was seated opposite them gave him a concerned look.

"Did you take a nap, Harry?" she asked.

"Yes," he said embarrassed. "Yes, I did."

"You never sleep in the afternoon. I was worried. So you are OK, then?"

"Yes, Hermione, I am fine, thank you." He was trying hard to find something else to say when he saw Malfoy entering the Great Hall. He was wearing his Slytherin robes and Prefect badge and his blond hair was styled carefully. Liliana entered the room a moment later. She was not wearing a Hogwarts' uniform; she had on black jeans and a black turtleneck blouse with long sleeves. Her skin was tanned, and her moves were fluid, as if she had been used to a lot of physical exercise. Some people turned to stare at the new arrival. Harry was happy that, for once, he was not the object of their curiosity. Unlike him, the Durmstrang girl did not seem to mind the attention. She had a proud attitude that was reflected in her every gesture. Harry tried hard not to categorize her as arrogant, though he was tempted to do just that. Malfoy accompanied her to the Slytherin table, but before they could be seated, Dumbledore stood up and made himself heard.

"Good evening to you all! As you might have found out by now, Durmstrang Institute was completely destroyed last night in a raid conducted by Death Eaters."

Some murmuring was heard in the hall. Students were whispering to each other, some of them afraid that a similar attack could take place at Hogwarts.

Dumbledore's voice was sad and solemn as he continued: "I would like to welcome to Hogwarts the only person who seems to have survived the attack: Miss Liliana Karkaroff. You all saw her arriving and confronting Bellatrix Lestrange earlier today. Say hello and welcome one of the best students of the Institute! She will be staying with us this year and the next one in order to finish her education."

With that he turned around and sat down.

While some students were greeting Liliana and others were eyeing her carefully, Harry could not stop noticing that she was looking rather displeased at the idea of staying at Hogwarts. She managed a forced little smile to the students and sat down next to Draco. She was not sitting far from the Gryffindor table, so Harry found it difficult to take his eyes off her. Her face was turned towards the Gryffindor table while she listened to Draco's comments. He was presenting the rest of his Slytherin mates to her.

"Isn't it strange?" Harry heard Hermione saying.

"What?" Ron asked.

"Her father died only yesterday, and she doesn't seem to be in shock or anything?"

Harry frowned. Again, Hermione seemed to be cleverer than anyone else.

"Wait," Ron suddenly said, "why wasn't there a sorting ceremony for this girl? We are all sorted into houses when we arrive. It's the rule!"

"Maybe she's just too old for that," said Ginny.

"Rules apply to absolutely all students!" Hermione said. "Unless…."

"Unless what?" Harry asked impatiently.

"Unless they already know where to put her," she said, hesitantly.

"How could they know that? It's impossible!" Ron argued.

"Maybe it's Snape's doing," said Harry. "Maybe that's what he and Dumbledore were talking about when they were walking to the castle."

He was not convinced of what he was saying, but he felt better joining the conversation instead of staring at the odd couple at the Slytherin table. Still, he had trouble thinking about something else, so the moment discussions halted, he glanced again at their neighbors. His heart skipped a beat when he saw Malfoy gesturing in his direction. And then he caught Liliana Karkaroff's eyes on him. She had the same hateful look in her eyes that she had shot at Bellatrix Lestrange earlier that day, just before taking her down.

* * *

"This is Vincent Crabbe, and this is Gregory Goyle," Draco was saying to Liliana. She shook their hands vigorously before turning her attention to Blaise Zabini, who was staring at her.

"And this is Blaise, of course, my best mate," Draco added.

Zabini grinned, "It's nice to finally have a pretty girl at our table." He threw her an appreciative glance.

Liliana stiffened for a moment, and then she smiled too. "Nice meeting you all," she said.

"I'm Pansy Parkinson, by the way," a girl's voice came from behind. "And you are sitting in my place." Liliana turned around and saw a small brunette smirking at her. She was accompanied by two other girls with the same attitude.

"Find yourself some other place to sit tonight, Pansy," Malfoy said with a snort.

"And not only for tonight, as far as I am concerned," said Zabini. Crabbe and Goyle started to laugh.

Pansy threw them a killing look before turning on her heel and leaving.

"If you guys do that again, I won't be able to befriend any girl in here," Liliana protested.

"You won't be able to befriend any Slytherin girl as long as you sit here with Malfoy. They all fancy him," responded Zabini shrugging. "Well, almost all of them…"

She turned to face Malfoy.

"So, who else should I care to know about while I stay at Hogwarts?"

Draco's eyes wandered around the Great Hall.

"No one from the Hufflepuffs," he said. "Gregory, from the Ravenclaws, he's the Head Boy this year." His gaze stopped at the Gryffindor table. "And the Dream Team of course…"

"What _Dream Team_" asked Liliana.

"Well, Hermione Granger," he answered, pointing at a small girl with bushy hair, "Ronald Weasley, the biggest dork I've ever known, and his stupid tramp of a sister Ginny, though she's not officially part of the Dream Team." He made a disgusted face while he waved his hand in their direction. "And of course, Potty-face," he finished.

Liliana recognized the raven-haired boy who had helped her against Bellatrix and whom she had met accidentally again when she was returning from Dumbledore's office.

"Potty-face?" she inquired, smiling.

"Harry Potter, of course, the Boy-Who-Lived", said Malfoy, watching her reaction closely.

Liliana turned her head to see Harry, her eyes darkening considerably to Malfoy's satisfaction. She spotted for the first time the scar on his forehead. And then Potter tilted his head to look directly at her, and they locked gazes for the third time that day. But this time around she did not take her eyes off him immediately, as she had done before. She observed the fine lines of Harry's face, his sparkly green eyes behind what she thought to be quite funny glasses, and his jet-black, unruly hair. She was aware of the fact that he was also studying her intently, but she knew she presented no special interest to him at this point. She was just a curiosity to him, someone new, a stranger arriving from a rival school of magic.

She clenched her fists under the table, trying hard not to draw her wand and hex him into nothingness that instant. Fortunately, someone tapped her on the right shoulder, causing her to take her eyes off Potter. It was Severus Snape.

"Miss Karkaroff, I'd like to talk to you before you start your classes tomorrow morning."

"Why not right now?" she asked.

"Don't you want to finish your meal?"

"I'm not particularly fond of sweets," she answered.

He gave her a forced smile. Liliana didn't like something in the way he looked at her.

"Then, let's head for the dungeons. That's where my office is."

She nodded and let him lead the way.

"See you later," she said to Draco who was ardently discussing something with Blaise and hadn't even noticed her getting up from the table.

He nodded and continued his conversation.

* * *

"Harry?"

He snapped out of his reverie and looked at Hermione.

"What's the matter?"

"You were just saying that it was Snape talking to Dumbledore?"

"Was I? What about them?"

Hermione sighed.

Harry realized he had spent the last few minutes glaring pointlessly at the Slytherin table. Snape had left, taking the Durmstrang girl away with him. It was totally unusual. Normally, after dinner, all students would be escorted by their Prefects to their common rooms. No one was allowed to walk around the corridors after dinner, least of all a newcomer. Moreover, Snape had never been the sociable kind.

Something was going on, and Harry couldn't make out why he even cared as long as that didn't exactly involve him. Besides, his friends' interest in their new comrade was beginning to subside, and he could not just tell them that he suddenly felt the urge to follow Snape to the dungeons or wherever the potions master was going. No matter how much everyone loathed Snape, he was a Hogwarts professor, and no one would probably care about whom he took with him at that late hour, especially if the person in question was a Slytherin student. Indeed, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were now finishing their apple pie and talking about Professor Trelawny's latest prediction. Harry's eyes returned to the Slytherin table where Draco and his companions were just leaving. Malfoy didn't look particularly concerned about Liliana's disappearance though he had been given the task of looking after her by Dumbledore. Harry got to his feet and said good night to his friends.

"You're not having any dessert?" Ron asked, his mouth full of apple pie.

"No, thanks, Ron. I'm going back to the common room. Good night, girls." He waived to Hermione and Ginny and walked out of the room, relieved that they hadn't asked him to wait for them.

On his way up to the Gryffindor Tower, he wondered what to do next. Should he just go to bed or take his Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map and head for Snape's office? It was still too early to go to sleep, so he decided that he would have a stroll around the castle hidden under his cloak. And if that stroll involved a detour by Snape's office, so be it.

Happy with his decision and already feeling better, Harry entered the Gryffindor common room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three – Tom's Best Spy**

Liliana Karkaroff was examining the different ingredients and potions kept in containers placed on wooden shelves on the walls in Severus Snape's office. She made a disgusted face when she read "_Armadillo bile__"_ on one of the containers.

"Always hated these kinds of things," she said, turning to face Snape.

He had been watching her intently since they had entered the dungeon and she had proceeded to look around the room, something he never allowed anyone to do. There was some kind of awe and excitement in his dark, cold eyes. She shifted uneasily when she met his gaze.

"That is why I never took Potions," she said in a low voice.

Snape took a step towards her.

"Never took Potions?" he repeated, astonished. "How was it possible? It is essential for any wizard's education!"

She shrugged. "They understood, at Durmstrang. They knew that, in my case, knowledge of Dark Arts was essential. The rest was optional. Transfiguration, Charms, Potionswere what Igor called _support subjects._"

Snape sniffed.

"Miss Kakaroff, I would like to bring to your attention that favoritism will not be tolerated at Hogwarts. I do not mean to criticize Igor on how he managed the Institute, but I have to emphasize that, in this particular school, everyone bows to the same rules. I am convinced that none of your ancestors, who have attended Hogwarts over the centuries, has ever been subject to any privileges. You will, thus, take Potions for two reasons: firstly, because it's part of the curricula; secondly, because it is compulsory, if you really want to successfully finish your training here."

Liliana pouted, but did not comment.

"As it is, and taking into account your parentage, it would really be a pity not to be proficient in Potions," Snape continued. "Rest assured that this subject is almost as interesting as the Dark Arts…though not as spectacular."

As Snape drew closer to her, his eyes glittering with excitement, Liliana returned to searching through his carefully placed bottles.

"What about poisons?" she asked.

"What about them?"

"Are you that skilled with poisons, too?"

"Why shouldn't I be?"

"Just wondering… So, what were you trying to tell me earlier on about the classes I'll have to attend this year?"

"Well, you will attend Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms and Potions_;_ you may also choose one or two of the optional subjects and even play Quidditch if you wish. I know for a fact that Draco is looking for a replacement for Gregory Goyle, because he's quite an inefficient player. And you are a very good flyer; that was quite obvious earlier this afternoon."

Liliana looked surprised when she heard Snape talking about Quidditch, but she didn't say anything. _They don't know_. _Let's hope they'll never find out_, she thought gleefully.

"And I'll give you private lessons so you can stay in Slughorn's class," Snape continued. "With a bright mind like yours and if you'll show enough determination, you will be able to learn the potions I have taught them in the last five years very fast. But you'll have to work hard every day. You'll be prepared for your exams, I promise you."

Liliana snorted. "I am not so sure, Professor. I told you I hate playing the Potions master. I've only made Polyjuice Potion a few times to play some tricks on Viktor Krum and his stupid mates. It took me a lot of time to gather the ingredients and brew it. I hated it, too much wasted time."

"It took you such a long time precisely because you had not brewed other potions before," he said slowly, emphasizing his every word. "Don't disappoint me, Miss Karkaroff," he added.

"I'll do my best not to", she said, turning to face him again.

"Finally," he continued, I shall give you Occlumency lessons. Dumbledore asked me during dinner," he added quickly, when he saw the inquisitive look in her eyes.

"I have taken Occlumency since I was ten years old," she said. "Your lessons would be useless."

"This is one of my fields of expertise, Miss Karkaroff," Snape said coldly.

"Be careful, Professor," Liliana replied in the same tone. "Only one kind of person can be very skilled in these three fields: a very powerful **dark** wizard. And I really hope that isn't your case anymore."

This time around, Severus' face was blank.

"No, not anymore. You may go back to your Common Room now."

"All right," she agreed. "I shall need some time to get acquainted with the school before we meet with the headmaster again to discuss our plans." She opened the door to Snape's office and stepped out, convinced that the conversation was over. But the Potions master followed her in the hallway.

"Listen," he said. "We shall not be alone during our Occlumency classes. Dumbledore also insisted that I continue to see Potter for the same reason this year, so we'll have to be extra careful in his presence."

"What does he have to do with anything? I don't want him anywhere near me!" she said resentfully.

"It's the headmaster's decision," Snape replied. "By the way, I don't think they mentioned it, but you'll have to wear a school uniform."

"With all due respect, Professor, I'll never wear a stupid skirt like that. Do you want me to catch a cold or something?"

"School rules, Miss Karkaroff," Snape said, this time sounding amused, as he saw her sulking. "Draco Malfoy will make sure that you receive a uniform. Next Sunday there's a trip planned to a village not far from here. You can purchase the rest of your things there. In the meantime, you'll have to rely on the library for books and on my personal stores for Potions class."

Liliana was about to thank him when she thought she heard noise coming from a staircase behind Snape.

"There's someone here," she said in a small whisper.

"_Lumos_!" Snape commanded, quickly pointing his wand behind him.

There was nothing in the illuminated space.

"I am sure someone is in here," she insisted. She walked quickly towards the staircase with her wand in hand.

* * *

Harry had never relied too much on Snape to save him from dangerous situations, but, in that exact instant, he was thinking that Snape could be indeed his only escape if Liliana would catch him spying on them. She had stopped right in front of him, pointing her wand at him and listening attentively. He tried not to move an inch, and he stopped breathing. But their faces were dangerously close, as she was almost as tall as him.

"What was that incantation?" she muttered. "If I could only remember…"

"Maybe it was just an impression," said Snape.

"Maybe," she said and her hand brushed slowly through the air in front of her.

Harry would have recoiled, but he knew he would make noise if he stepped back. He felt her hand touch the material of the cloak and expected her to tear off his cover. Instead, she let her hand fall and retired presently.

"Yes, I must have been wrong," she said and put her wand away. "I am going to sleep."

"Very well. Good night, Miss Karakoff", said Snape. As soon as she hurried away, he slammed close the door of his office, leaving Harry in total darkness.

He realized that he was shaking. _That was close_, he thought and seated himself on the stairs. What was that all about him taking Occlumency again? And why was _she_ also taking Occlumency? And most important, why in Merlin's name didn't she blow his cover?

Before even realizing what he was doing, he was out of the dungeon area. He needed to take in fresh air, so he hurried towards the main entrance, still under his Invisibility Cloak. At least out on the grounds nobody was going to bother him anymore.

When he reached the front doors, he realized just how wrong he had just been.

Liliana Karkaroff was just heading out of the castle at ten o'clock in the evening. For a split second, Harry was confronted again with his dilemma. Should he just go back to his dorm and leave this strange girl alone, or should he follow her to see what she was up to? Unfortunately, he had already stepped on a tree branch, which made a loud crack. The girl turned quickly around, startled by the noise. She could not see him, so she continued to walk heading towards the lake. Somehow, Harry knew that she was perfectly aware of his presence, but, apparently, she didn't care too much. He decided to act maturely and took off his Invisibility Cloak, folding it, and shoving it into his back pocket together with his wand. He followed Liliana to the lake, closing the distance between them. Moments later, he was only a few meters away from her. He didn't know exactly why he had come so dangerously close. Finally, exasperated, she faced him. The autumn wind was playing with her black, not so long, curly hair.

"Are you following me around for any particular reason?" she asked.

"You shouldn't be out of the castle after curfew," said Harry clumsily. Nothing else had come to mind.

"Are you a Prefect or something?"

"No, but…"

"Then, it's none of your business, is it?"

But Potter didn't want to leave. He stood there, and she frowned at him.

"I'm Harry Potter, by the way", he said, offering his right hand.

She looked at his hand as if it were a snake or some other dangerous creature.

"I don't really care who you are," she said, and did not shake his hand. "Will you leave me alone now?"

"Well…"

"I know it was you in the hallway when I was talking to Snape," she cut him off. "You have an Invisibility Cloak, don't you?"

"No," Harry lied as well as he could. "No, it wasn't me, and I don't have an Invisibility Cloak." Nobody had to know about his cloak.

"It is not worth wasting your breath to convince me," she said. "It was you, and I can prove it to you very easily."

"How?" Harry asked, half smiling, and half smirking.

"Very simple," she said, rapidly drawing her wand. "_Immobulus_!"

Harry cursed himself for being so stupid. He remembered the simple spell Hermione had cast in their DADA class during their third year. He could not make a move, though he was perfectly aware of everything around him. She stepped in front of him and after giving him a quick eye up and down, she slid her hand in the back pocket of his jeans and took his Invisibility Cloak. His wand fell on the ground and she lifted it, examining it carefully.

"What do you say now, Potter?" she asked triumphantly. "Lying is a hobby of yours, isn't it? Professor Snape at least thinks so. I did not give you up _then_ because I thought it could have been someone else, and I didn't want to get him into trouble."

_Malfoy_, Harry thought instinctively. _She thought I was Malfoy. How considerate of her to protect him. Disgusting rats, these Slytherins, always sticking up for each other._

Liliana was now examining his cloak. She touched the material in awe and put her right arm under the cloak. Then she laughed incredulously.

"If I didn't know better, I would think it is one of the _Deathly Hollows_. Such perfection!" she muttered.

She put her wand away and, with a careless wave of her hand, she released Harry. Only he was not smiling at all.

"Why did you do that for?" he asked furiously.

Liliana ignored him and threw him his cloak and his wand.

"Go back to your tower, Potter, and leave me alone."

He decided he had enough of her and turned to leave, when an idea suddenly hit him.

"Why do you want so badly to stay away from me?"

She stared at him in disbelief.

"What did you just say?"

"I heard what you said to Snape. You said that you didn't want me around you. Why is that?"

"That's none of your business, Potter," she said angrily. "And I think you should really go back to your friends before I put an _Imperius_ curse on you and make you feel the urge to drown yourself in this lake!"

"It's not going to be so easy this time around," he said, pointing his wand at her. "By the way, has Snape also told you that I'm quite talented in using defensive spells?"

"Shh," she said suddenly, gesturing at him to shut up. He had heard it himself. Something big was slithering nearby. Liliana drew her wand, and Harry stood still listening. Then the creature appeared from behind a tree, advancing quickly towards them. Harry instinctively recognized Voldemort's pet - Nagini. He had seen it in his nightmares, but there she was, so real…She was at least fifteen feet long, her cold body shining in the moonlight, as she slithered in their direction. He took his eyes off her with great difficulty to glance at Liliana. He noticed how tense the girl had become in a matter of seconds. Her playfulness and defiance had vanished completely. She seemed incapable of taking her eyes off the creature and was gripping her wand unconsciously.

"She's the one, isn't she? Voldemort's pet?" she asked Harry, and he nodded, looking back to the creature.

She pointed her wand at the snake and said, "_Vipera evanesca_", but nothing happened. Nagini continued to slither in their direction, her red eyes trained on the two students. Harry hexed her with the Killing Curse, but there was no result whatsoever.

"Don't bother, _the three Unforgivables_ don't work on _this snake_! She's protected," Liliana said presently, putting her wand away and taking a few steps back.

Her voice was so tense, that Harry could not help sneaking another glance at her. She was wearing an expression of mixed horror and anticipation. Her hands curled in fists at her sides, as she seemed to be struggling to take a decision.

Harry turned to Nagini, but to his surprise, the snake had stopped advancing in their direction and was observing them instead.

"Potter, why don't you go back to the castle to call one of the teachers?" Liliana asked coolly.

The tone of her voice had changed drastically and, as she approached Nagini, he understood why. She was holding a small sword in her right hand, which had a snake engraved around its handle.

Harry froze. A former Durmstrang student was wandering around Hogwarts in the middle of the night, armed with a sword. _Dumbledore would be thrilled, if he knew about this. And he should know, _he thought widely, as Liliana closed the distance between Nagini and herself.

The view of the knife seemed to be enough to spring Nagini back into action. Before the girl could make a move, she attacked. Her fangs went deep in Liliana's left arm, before the girl could make any move to prevent it. Liliana looked for a moment at the wound the snake had left in horror, as blood started to spill from it.

Harry instantly made up his mind. He could not leave Karkaroff alone to confront Nagini. It was obviously impossible to hex that snake, so he needed to harm her with a solid object of some kind. He picked up a stone and threw it at the creature, but Nagini ignored him completely, her red eyes still trained on Liliana's small sword.

A split second later, the snake attacked Liliana again but, this time, the girl was ready for her. As the snake circled her, preparing to strike again, she managed to cut deep into her tail. Nagini made a horrific sound and disappeared at once, leaving her tail behind.

Harry, who had watched the short fight in disbelief, saw Liliana getting to her feet with some difficulty and placing her small sword back inside her boot.

_So, that's where it had come from_, Harry thought. He wondered again whether it was a Durmstrang habit to walk around armed. Liliana was panting, and her hands were trembling badly, as she took her wand and started to murmur incantations meant to stop the bleeding.

"You should go to the hospital wing immediately," Harry said softly, trying to reach for her.

That seemed to wake Liliana from her frenzy and she grasped Harry's shoulders in a swift move.

"Potter, you must promise you will not tell anyone about my sword," she said, shaking him with unexpected force.

"What?" Harry blurted, totally confused. "We need to tell Dumbledore about Nagini and I have to take you to the hospital wing!"

"Did you not hear me?" she asked, releasing him roughly. "I don't need to go to any hospital wing. I'll manage without, but you just have to promise you will not tell anyone about my sword."

Harry noticed that her incantations had done their job. The bleeding had stopped, though the wound was not completely healed. Liliana put her wand away and looked at him expectantly.

"Karkaroff, you have to give the headmaster that sword," he stated.

She looked at him coldly.

"I am warning you, Potter. One word to anyone about my weapon and you are as good as dead."

And before Harry could say something, she headed towards the castle. Moments later, after he gave Nagini's tail a disgusted look, Harry decided to go back to his dorm, too.

* * *

Liliana entered her dorm quietly. None of the Slytherin girls wanted to share a room with her, so Snape had placed her in a former storeroom, presently refurbished as a dorm, alone. _Zabini was right about the girls after all_, she thought amused and a bit concerned at the same time. While she was at Durmstrang, girls had always gathered around her. She had suspected that it had to do partially with the fact that she was the Headmasters' daughter, but it was also because she was a powerful witch, and they knew they could always count on her for help. Life had never been very easy for girls at Durmstrang. There were no more than twenty girls in the whole school. Admittance was very difficult, and the Institute was known for being conservative, so only pure-blood wizards would find their way in. Liliana had always befriended the other five girls in her year, so she was surprised by the Slytherin girls' attitude, as well as of the existence of four houses at Hogwarts. There were no houses in Durmstrang, and all students were treated equally.

She seated herself on the bed and looked absently through the window. By now the escaping Death Eaters had probably informed Voldemort of what had happened at Durmstrang and about Lestrange's capture. He would have started his investigation, and it would be just a matter of time before he found her. She had insisted that Dumbledore let her go, but, apparently, he believed that it would be in her best interest to stay at Hogwarts. Still, she feared for the other students' safety; the Death Eaters might decide to conduct a raid on Hogwarts, as they had at Durmstrang. Dumbledore was unconcerned by this possibility, though. He thought the Death Eaters would never try such a thing. They feared Dumbledore and the other teachers, and the school was also protected by ancient spells.

Liliana was not convinced by Dumbledore's arguments, though. Durmstrang had not even been marked on the map, and they had found it. It had been also protected by ancient spells. Nothing worked against the Death Eaters' dark magic. Not even Igor Karkaroff had been able to stop them. He had only managed to kill three of his ex-comrades before being put down by Bellatrix Lestrange.

Liliana suddenly winced in pain, remembering the previous night's fight. In an attempt to forget about it, she got up and placed her elbows on the window sill, gazing into the night. She contemplated the advantages of staying at Hogwarts. _At least it will be warmer_, she thought, smiling to herself. Then, she remembered the night's events: the discussion with Snape, Nagini spying, which probably meant that Voldemort had already begun his investigation, Harry Potter following her around…She might have found it easy to handle Nagini, or the fact that she had to wear a skirt from now on, but she surely hadn't been prepared to meet i_this/i_ Harry Potter. In her eyes, he was guilty for Voldemort's second rise to power. If he hadn't let himself be so easily lured into the Death Eaters' trap, Voldemort would still be helpless and vulnerable for her to get rid of him. She would have found him eventually; the Death Eaters, Igor included, had known how to find him, they just had not wanted to, preferring to ignore the signs of his return.

Liliana detested Harry for being that weak. Karkaroff had told her everything that happened during Harry Potter's fourth year at Hogwarts and during the _Triwizard Tournament. _She had enjoyed Karkaroff's story, especially the part where Viktor had lost the Tournament, as she had always despised Krum (mostly because she had always thought she would be the one representing Durmstrang in the competition). The headmaster had insisted that she needed to stay hidden. She hated that.

Igor Karkaroff had always talked about Potter as if he were a little boy who had been lucky enough to escape Voldemort several times. She had expected to find a small, skinny boy, with a visible scar on his forehead. Instead, she had found somebody who was not only very powerful (as she had felt when they had confronted Bellatrix together), but also…, _quite attractive_, she thought, making a disgusted face. He wasn't small either…or skinny anymore. And he also seemed to be a inice person/i. He had actually offered to help her to the hospital wing.

Nobody had ever cared before whether Liliana had been ok or not. Every time she had suffered, everyone around her had ignored her pain. She was supposed to be the strong one. She had been raised to be a soldier after all. Soldiers never let their pain show. And Liliana had learned to live up to her entourage's expectations, because she could not have disappointed Igor. She owned him her life. If Igor had told her that Harry Potter was just some weak, idiot boy, who had been lucky enough to escape Voldemort several times, and who happened to have contributed to Voldemort's second rise to power, there was no way this idiot boy could be considered either nice, or attractive. She mentally punished herself for these thoughts and returned to bed before more crazy ideas about Potter would crawl inside her sleep deprived mind.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**** –Friends and Foes**

One week had gone by since Liliana Karkaroff's arrival at Hogwarts. Harry Potter was making his way through the crowded hall to have breakfast when he witnessed something bizarre going on at the Gryffindor table. Liliana Karkaroff was sitting with Hermione, Ron and Ginny. They were talking. That meant that she was at _his_ table talking to _his_ friends! Angry, he pushed through the crowd, heading hastily for the table. Harry still had a problem with being immobilized and his belongings taken from his pockets the previous Friday. Since their last meeting, they had tacitly decided to try to ignore each other. That had proven rather difficult to achieve because they were in three classes together: Transfiguration, Potions, and Defense against the Dark Arts. They also happened to live in the same building.

In their first Potions class together, Harry had had the time of his life watching Slughorn asking Liliana very simple questions and her not being able to answer any of them. It had been like his first Potions class years ago, when Snape was teaching. Only that this time around, it had been Slughorn the teacher and the girl had been absolutely clueless, though this was supposed to be her sixth year of Potions. And the fact that Slughorn had paired her with Hermione to brew the potion he had been teaching them that day had not helped at all. He had never seen someone so ignorant and pathetic in his entire student life, not even Neville Longbottom. That had made him feel much better. It was their first class together; unfortunately, it was also the only one in which Liliana had proved to be completely ignorant. In Transfiguration she proved to be quite good, making Professor McGonnagall grant the Slytherins ten points, to Hermione's despair. As for the DADA class, when she had paired with Blaise Zabini to duel Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson, Harry had watched with great satisfaction as Draco had been literally blown away by one of Liliana's hexes and landed on a table. Obviously worried for the other Slytherin, she had then hurried towards him and offered Draco a hand up. He had taken her hand, and she had carefully arranged his robes, a gesture which had given Harry, for an unknown reason, the urge to promptly put Malfoy through a wall. Of course that was nothing unusual from Harry's point of view, because he always felt like that about Malfoy.

Altogether, the week had been rather enjoyable — until now, of course. Harry had been doing well in all his classes — especially in Potions, which had never been his specialty, thanks to a Potions book containing annotations that he had accidentally found at the beginning of the year. Ron and Hermione had been at his side all the time, making meals and common room talks enjoyable. And now, all of a sudden, _she_ was at his table, talking to his friends. Harry decided instantly that such a situation was not going to be tolerated.

But, apparently, Malfoy was sharing his conviction, because before Harry could reach the table and have the chance shove that impertinent girl away from his place, he had approached Liliana and had had a few goes at Ron, Ginny, and Hermione, before dragging Liliana away with him.

When Harry reached the Gryffindor table, Ron's face and ears were red, Hermione had a puzzled expression on her face, and Ginny was boiling with anger.

"What's just happened?" he asked. "And what was _she_ doing here?"

"Well," Ginny replied, "she came and she asked if she could sit with us. And my stupid brother had to say yes, of course."

"No, actually, she asked if she could talk to me," Hermione intervened. "She said none of the Slytherin girls would talk to her. Ron and I paired with her for Potions on Monday, and I helped her, she didn't know anything at all. I felt sorry for her. So of course I said she could sit and talk to us for a few minutes. For once I can't agree with you, Ginny!"

"And then, of course, Malfoy came and started to insult us all!" Ginny continued. "Stupid git! He was going on and on about us being lame and poor and pathetic. You know, the usual. I am so sick of him!"

"Actually she wouldn't be so mad if Malfoy hadn't called her — what were his exact words? — pathetic loser and president of Potter's fanclub."

"Shut up, Ron!"

"It's the truth, Ginny." Ron sniggered, content to see Ginny's temper rising. It made breakfast so much agreeable, when you had a younger sister to make fun of.

"You didn't say anything when he called me that!"

"Well, that's between you and Malfoy," said Ron, laughing now. "I told him to leave the girl alone if she wanted to stay with us. That's when he said that no descendant of Salazar Slytherin could sit with a bunch Mudbloods and blood traitors like us."

"What did you just say?" Harry asked, his jaw dropping.

"That she could not sit with Mudbloods and…"

"No, no, the other part, about Salazar Slytherin!"

Ron gazed at him, thunderstruck.

"He said that she was a descendant of Salazar Slytherin."

Harry sat near Hermione and started to pour some tea for himself.

"I agree with Ginny," he announced coldly before Ron had time to discuss the matter further. "If either of you want to talk to her, please don't do it when I'm around." He changed the subject by announcing that the Quidditch match against the Slytherins had been rescheduled in two weeks' time.

"We need to train hard," he said to Ron and Ginny ten minutes later, before getting up to hurry to the Charms class. He noticed that Ginny had not been paying attention to his words. She was staring at the Slytherin table, and Harry saw that the object of her interest was Malfoy, who was now sitting alone, enjoying his tea. Harry leaned towards Hermione.

"I need a favor from you," he said. "Can you check if there's a family connection between Salazar Slytherin and Igor Karkaroff?"

"Sure," she said, smiling. "It's a bit disturbing isn't it? What Malfoy said…"

"Yes, it is," admitted Harry, without returning her smile. Then he and Ron headed off to class.

* * *

"Sunday we're going to Hogsmeade," Hermione said that evening, while they were in the library, preparing their homework. The homework load was getting heavier every week, and they had to come to the library quite frequently. Harry was busy with a paper for Potions while Hermione was doing some extra reading for Charms.

He let his quill fall aside and stretched his legs.

"I hope so," he said. "With all this homework, I am not sure I can afford the time to go."

"Come on, Harry, you can't be serious! It's Hogsmeade we're talking about! You love to go there. And, you know, I can't wait to see the Twins' store!"

"Yeah, me too," he said, smiling dreamily.

"Look who's here," Hermione suddenly whispered.

Harry glanced over his shoulder and saw Liliana Karkaroff entering the study section, book bag full and heavy slung over her shoulder. She stopped abruptly in front of the first free desk and placed her bag on it. A moment later, Harry saw Snape following her, together with Madame Pince, the librarian.

"But, Professor," Madame Pince was saying indignantly, "you know very well students are not allowed to borrow books from that section!"

"This student is allowed," he said dryly.

The librarian turned on her heels and left, complaining about interference in her business.

As soon as she was gone, Snape hurried towards the Restricted Section of the library and then to Potions books area. He returned ten minutes later, with three books. He waved one of them playfully in front of Liliana eyes before she managed to tear it from his hand.

"Is it true?" she asked and gave a short laugh. She sounded very happy, not like her usual self, and Harry realized he liked that laugh a lot. She pushed back her black hair and examined the book carefully, before returning it to Snape.

"Yes," he said. "But you'll have it only when the potions are ready! In the meantime…"

She looked miserable, as Snape placed the other two books in her hands — which Harry guessed they were Potions books — and took the other book away from her.

"Have a productive week-end, Miss Karkaroff," he said with a wicked, thin smile and left.

Liliana gave a funny sigh and took a seat at the table, reaching for her bag of books and parchments. A moment later she started to write.

* * *

At exactly nine pm, Hermione slammed close her Charms for NEWTS book and got to her feet. She had developed a very strict studying programme for herself, in order to make sure she would get to be the Head Girl next year. That programme also included a sleeping schedule so that the information she had collected during the day could be absorbed by her brain during her eight hours of sleep. Harry and Ron had first laughed at the idea, but Hermione was sure that it would help her studying, so they had left her alone.

"Good night, Harry," she said, smiling at him. "Don't stay long!"

She hurried towards the exit. The library was almost empty now, except for Harry and the Durmstrang girl. Hermione stopped near her desk to comment something about her books, and Harry heard Liliana answering Hermione's questions cheerfully. Then Hermione exited the library, leaving Harry and Liliana alone. Apparently, she hadn't even noticed him; she'd been completely absorbed in her work for the last three hours. She had written at least five parchments, while Harry had merely finished three.

But as Hermione left the room, Liliana looked up from her books and stretched her arms and legs like a lazy feline, and her eyes wandered around the room. Harry managed to tear his gaze from Liliana's outstretched legs with great difficulty. She was wearing the Hogwarts uniform, which meant that she was wearing a skirt. Harry had always thought that the uniform was rather ugly, but his opinion changed when he saw Liliana Karkaroff wearing it. It looked totally different on her. She was taller than the other girls, and she had kept her Durmstrang high-heeled boots on.

He gulped uneasily as her eyes settled on him. She had finally become aware of his presence. And then he felt it again: the incredible flow of magic between them that he'd experienced one week before, on the Quidditch pitch.

Harry vaguely wondered if she was also feeling that energy. But Liliana averted her eyes immediately. She took her quill and started to write again.

Unfortunately, five minutes later, Madame Pince entered the study area and asked them to leave because the library was closing. Harry grabbed his book bag and stuffed his things in it before heading for the exit. Liliana took her time to arrange her books neatly before hurrying to Madame Pince's desk to borrow the two books Snape had found for her.

She stopped in front of the librarian's desk and she presented her books.

"You know these are not allowed lento leave the library," Madame Pince sniffed.

"So I heard," she said. "But I know you will have no objection if I borrow them for a few days," Liliana said with a mischievous smile on her face, swiftly taking out her wand and waving it in front of Madame Pince's face, before the librarian had time to react.

Harry, who was half-way out of the library by now, snorted, waiting for Madame Pince's snappy answer. But that never came. He turned around to see the librarian quietly registering Liliana's books. _I can't believe it! She put a spell on Pince_!, Harry thought, seriously taking into the consideration the possibility of actually telling Dumbledore what he had seen Karkaroff doing during their last encounters.

Liliana took her books and followed Harry to the exit.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, as Liliana swept past him. "What you did is illegal in this school! Dumbledore…"

"Potter," she interrupted him rudely, "I thought I made it clear that what others do is none of your business! You have no authority whatsoever to tell me what I can do and what I cannot do!"

"But what you did is outrageous! You cannot walk around and cast spells on school staff! It's really…I should really report you to the Heads or to one of the teachers."

"You must be joking, Potter! After all the rules you broke in this school, you're the one to talk!" she snapped.

Harry felt his cheeks warm up.

"How do you know…ah, let me guess, Karkaroff told you? Or Snape? Anyway, that's really none of your business. Besides, all the school rules _I_ broke were for a good purpose!"

"Well, so is what I've just done."

"Somehow I don't believe that!"

"Go on, Potter, report me," she challenged coolly. "You'll bear the consequences!"

"Are you threatening me?" he asked angrily, grabbing the sleeve of her robes.

She smirked and pulled her sleeve out of his grip.

"I'll take that for a yes," he said.

Liliana wanted to leave, but something made her change her mind.

"You know, Potter, you are exactly how Professor Snape described you: a lame, pathetic excuse for a wizard, and of course, completely unaware of how worthless you really are. You strut around this castle like some big hero, rescuer of the wizarding world. In reality, you are a complete joke."

By now, Harry was boiling with anger.

"I am neither lame, nor pathetic," he said. "I am not the one who's trying to draw attention to herself at all costs! Fighting Death Eaters, giant snakes, playing know-it-all in Defense against the Dark Arts classes…"

"Excuse me?"

"You're the one who likes to play the big hero, Karkaroff. You're such a show-off," he replied smugly.

"Finally," she said. "I see what your problem is, Potter. I am stealing your fan club! Is that it? People do not talk that much about Potter, anymore, do they now?"

_Cunning Slytherin_, he thought, slightly nervous now. Of course, he was used to being the centre of attention, but that was only incidental among his reasons to dislike her. He couldn't care less about losing his school mates' attention. _It would be too good to be true_, he said to himself, though he was not completely honest. The main issue was that he suspected her of plotting. She was, after all, a Slytherin. He didn't know anything about her, and Harry hated mysteries. He had to find out who she was, what exactly had happened at Durmstrang, why she was so close to Snape, why she was carrying a sword around... He had to know what was going on and, most importantly, he had to know why Dumbledore had abandoned his appointments with Harry after her arrival.

She felt she had touched a nerve and gave him an arrogant smile. He calmed down and ignored her triumphant look.

"I am not going to report you, Karkaroff. It's not my style. But be convinced that I'll have my say in the end."

She didn't answer and left. Harry felt confused at the moment. He rubbed his forehead. Maybe he was just tired and he was starting to see plots everywhere. The year had started rather eventless — except for the fact that Snape had finally been granted the DADA teacher position that he had pursued for so long, and Dumbledore had started showing Harry some of his memories about Voldemort, nothing had really happened until the previous Friday. He did not entirely understand his own curiosity in relation to Liliana Karkaroff. She wasn't a Death Eater for sure. She had managed to imprison one of the most dangerous Death Eaters ever. Dumbledore had rushed to welcome her to Hogwarts. And Snape had been looking over her ever since. He was treating her differently from other students. He was treating her much better than he even treated Malfoy, his favorite student. Why would Snape be so nice to her, he did not understand, because Snape was nasty by nature? On the other hand, Snape had apparently told her stories about Harry from his own point of view. And Harry knew how much Snape disliked him. This was altogether confusing and Harry was too tired to make coherent suppositions at that hour of the night.

He decided to start for the Gryffindor tower.

* * *

Liliana entered the Slytherin common room. It was quite late, and most of the students would normally be sleeping. So she moved quietly through the room, towards her own dorm. But as she passed by an armchair close to the fire, she saw Malfoy was curled up in it, reading a letter. He looked troubled, and Liliana stopped to enquire whether he was all right. Apparently, she had startled him, for he jumped up, looking uncomfortable.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you, Draco," she said sheepishly.

"It's all right," he said, brushing one hand through his tousled blonde hair.

"You were reading…?"

"Yes, I received a letter from my father…"

"I should let you finish it then," she said.

"I have," he said hastily, shoving the letter in his pocket. "Would you like to sit with me for a while?" He gestured towards an armchair near him.

She dropped her heavy book bag on the floor.

"I'd rather sit on the couch if you don't mind…"she said. "I've been in the library for the last four hours. The chairs in there are terrible." She collapsed on the couch and smiled happily. He got up from his armchair and managed to sit on the same couch, at her feet. He pulled her boots off and dropped them to the floor.

"I'll never understand why you girls have to wear those stupid high-heel boots…"

"Because," she said lazily, enjoying Malfoy's touch on her tired legs, "we girls think we are more beautiful if we wear them."

Draco smiled. It felt so natural to be here with Liliana, chatting. They had done that every night since she had arrived at Hogwarts. Their conversations were turning into a habit now. He was no longer thinking about that disturbing letter he had received from his father.

"How is brewing going?" he asked.

"Well, four of the potions are finished. I bottled them and gave them to the professor to check. He was rather pleased, I dare say. And the other ten, well, I see progress. Snape promised he would give me the book on Dark wizards' connections, if I finish them by Monday."

"Oh," he snarled, "I must warn you. Professor Snape is so cunning and sly that you'll end up doing loads of extra homework. No book is worth all that trouble!"

"I'm not doing it for the book, you foolish child," she said smiling. "I'm doing it to grow stronger, and complete my training soon…"

"Whatever. But you'll end up completely exhausted by the end of the semester…"

"Better tell me about yourself. How's Quidditch training?"

"Fine," he said, not very enthusiastically.

"What's the matter?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that we need a lot of points to qualify for the cup. And that was only the first match, the one that was rescheduled. If the Gryffindors beat the Hufflepuffs, and we beat the Ravenclaws, we'll have to play against them again. And their morale has skyrocketed since Potter became captain."

"We'll win, if you let me in your team," she said smiling.

"Look, Liliana, Quidditch is not magic. You are very skilled in magic, but Quidditch is really something else. Funny thing, Snape mentioned you might be interested in playing."

"And you did not wonder why?"

Draco smirked.

"Should I have?"

"When is your next practice?"

"On Tuesday afternoon. Why?"

"You'll have the chance to consider my application to join the Slytherin team."

"You're joking, right?"

"No, I know Goyle is not good enough, and you need a replacement."

"Very well, then. We'll see what you can do on Tuesday."

Liliana fell silent for a moment as she watched the shadows cast by the fire on Draco's beautiful face.

"What's the matter, Draco? There's something bothering you. I can see it clearly. Is your father all right?"

"He's fine," he said sharply.

"And Bellatrix? Are you mad at me for putting her back in Azkaban?"

He looked directly into her eyes. There was no trace of anger in his own bright silver ones.

"I am not sure," he answered earnestly. "To tell you the truth, I am confused. On one hand, all is fair in love and war. On the other hand, the raid on Durmstrang was conducted with unnecessary cruelty. So many people were killed, and most of them were students."

"I see Lucius did not spare you the details."

"He is afraid a similar raid could take place on Hogwarts. He thinks I am in danger here."

"But he would tell us if something like that happened, wouldn't he?"

"I believe so. If he had the opportunity. Owls would get here with difficulty, and Patronuses are almost impossible to send without being spotted."

"Then, we'll need to be extra careful, Draco," said Liliana, thoughtfully. She knew Draco hadn't told her everything she needed to know. There was something else tormenting him, beside a possible raid of the Death Eaters on Hogwarts.

"How was Occlumency with Bellatrix?" she asked, changing the subject again.

"She's been torturing me like hell all summer long", he said grumpily. "Mother, who is very skilled in Occlumency, did not want to teach me herself because they she thinks it's barbaric to break into somebody's mind like that. And then father asked Aunt Bella to do it because he thought Dumbledore might try to get into my mind."

"I didn't know your mother was so skilled in Occlumency."

"She learned from Grandpa Black, who also taught Aunt Bella. Mother is good with fighting perpetrators, but she's not as good at invading people's minds. She hates it."

"And what did Bellatrix do?"

"We practiced everyday, during this summer holiday. It's very painful when someone enters your mind and tries to find your darkest memories. It's one thing to train and something else to torture."

"I know…"

"She kept playing the same memories, the things I hated most…about my father …" He winced in pain, suddenly quiet.

"Sorry," said Liliana, "I don't want you to go there again. The fact is that I'll have to take these lessons together with Potter."

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, Dumbledore asked that we be trained together by Snape."

"Snape is an excellent teacher," he said. "He is very skilled in Occlumency. Rumor has it that he's the best among the Dark Wizards. But are you sure you want to do it? By the end of the first lesson, he'll know everything you wanted to hide from him."

"I will not allow him access to my mind, Draco," she said smugly.

"So, you have done that before?"

"Of course. It was essential to my training. At Durmstrang they did everything in their power to teach me all I needed to know, especially things related to the Dark Arts."

"Thought so," Malfoy whispered and closed his eyes. "Anyway, you need not worry about Potter. He is a complete mess when it comes to controlling himself. You'll have a very good time, watching Snape torturing him."

"I think you need to go to sleep, Malfoy," she said, getting up slowly and taking his hand. She helped him up, and they proceeded towards the boys' dorm where Liliana opened the door quietly, shoved Malfoy in, and then closed the door carefully, before entering her own room.

* * *

_They were everywhere. Smashing things to the ground, making terrible noise, and throwing curses in all directions. She heard her mates' screams and hexes. They had resisted courageously, but they were no match for the experienced Death Eaters._

_Liliana was running towards Karkaroff's office, one of the teachers had told her he was there, giving instructions to the other teachers on how to organize the students' escape. Her breathing was quick and heavy._

"Avada Kedavra!" _She heard a voice yelling. A fourth year student fell to the ground dead in front of her before she could help him._

_She saw the Death Eater who had thrown the curse Dissaparating at once. The young boy was dead, and there was nothing she could do about it. She left the corridor running and soon reached the Headmaster's office. She would have guessed that there would be people talking and making noise, but there was nobody. The door had been smashed open, and Igor was lying on the ground, obviously wounded. There was blood everywhere on the floor. She ran to him and found that he was still breathing. It was obvious that the Cruciatus curse had been inflicted on him. The blood came from an ugly wound in his shoulder. Liliana spotted his sword on the floor, near his wand. It was also covered in blood. She dropped on her knees and cried. The whole school was being destroyed and instead of fighting she was near Karkarroff, so powerless. It was their plan, their emergency plan if THIS ever happened. Karkaroff had expected it; he knew they would come sooner or later. She checked his pulse and realized that he was still alive. She tried to wake him up, but he was unconscious. Then, after a few long minutes, he suddenly moved._

_"Liliana," he said tentatively, "you came…"_

_She tried to help him up, but he resisted._

_"No, it's useless. You have to take this to Dumbledore, at Hogwarts…" There was a letter in his hand. Before even managing to take the letter, she felt Karkaroff writhing in pain. And a moment later he was cold as ice._

_Liliana stood up and looked at him speechlessly, while the Death Eaters were approaching. She could hear the curses, closing in. And then she heard her own name spoken by a cold voice she had never heard before_…

Liliana awoke with a start, shivering. Somebody had tried to wake her up, and she identified Draco Malfoy standing near her bed, a worried expression on his face.

"I had to wake you up," he said to her. "You were screaming in your sleep. I heard you from my room."

"I'm sorry, Draco," she muttered uncomfortably.

"I was having trouble sleeping myself," he admitted. "That's why I heard you. What was that all about?"

"I dreamt about Durmstrang again," she said, getting out of bed and wrapping the school robes around herself. "I need something to drink."

"We should go up to the kitchens, then."

"You want to come? At this hour?" she asked bewildered.

"I was about to do that myself," he lied and headed for the door. He had unsuccessfully tried to fall asleep all night long. It was five o'clock now, and he longed desperately for human company.

"Ok, we shall have an early breakfast," she said, grinning. "Too bad it's Saturday…"

She took her wand, and they left the room together.

* * *

Harry was sleeping like a baby when Ron woke him up that morning.

"Oh, for a Heaven's sake, Ron, why did you have to wake me up?" he muttered in his pillow and turned to the other side.

"Because it's already nine thirty, and we'll miss breakfast if you don't move. You know _I_ cannot miss breakfast."

"Yes, I know, you'll probably be grumpy all day long if you don't eat now", he said. But he still did not move.

Ron sighed exasperatedly and left the room. Harry stood up a few moments later, put on his glasses, and started for the showers. He was still sleepy, though it was his first real rest in a long time. His connection with Voldemort still gave him a lot of trouble sleeping.

The warm water felt pleasant against his skin and helped Harry chase away the need to sleep some more. He returned to his room and dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. He was about to leave the dorm, when he came face-to-face with his image in a mirror placed near the door. His black hair was messy, and somehow he decided he wouldn't get out of the room like that. He had never really cared about the way his hair had always been sticking out in all directions. His hair had always been difficult to master, and he basically preferred to ignore it. He grabbed his comb and tried to style his hair, still wet from the shower, as well as possible. It proved to be a difficult task, as usual, but when he finished he was rather pleased with the job he had done.

A moment later, he joined Ron, who was waiting for him impatiently in the Common Room.

"At last," he said. "Let's move, or we won't find anything left to eat!"

When they reached the Great Hall, there were only a few students still enjoying breakfast. Hermione and Ginny were nowhere to be seen. Instead, at the Slytherin table there were five people talking and laughing loudly. Harry recognized Blaise Zabini, with Crabbe and Goyle, who were reading The Daily Prophet and chuckling madly. Liliana Karkaroff and Draco Malfoy were sipping their tea and talking cheerfully, a pile of books and parchments in front of them.

Draco turned to Zabini to tell him that he should stop laughing so loud because he and Liliana were having trouble understanding each other. He stopped abruptly when he saw Harry and Ron approaching their table.

"Is there no way to have a quiet breakfast in this school?" asked Harry with a challenging note in his voice.

"Mind your tone, here, Potter," Zabini barked, annoyed. "It's none of your business what we're doing!"

"I seem to hear that more and more often lately", said Harry, glancing at Liliana, before quickly averting his gaze. She looked pale and had black circles under her hypnotic green eyes.

"It seems that you're on the wrong side of the room, Potter. Are you lost?" Draco mocked him. He couldn't quite understand why Potter was there anyway.

Harry was surprised to see that Liliana continued to ignore his presence, despite the fact that everyone was now yelling, transforming the breakfast table into a battle ground. She pretended to be reading her Potions book, her face blank.

"Shut up, Malfoy!" Ron intervened. He did not understand why Harry had come to the Slytherin table in the first place either. He was really hungry now, and it was making him grumpy.

"What's the matter, Weasel-face? Didn't sleep well?" Zabini scowled.

Maybe the word "sleep" made Liliana snap out of her thoughts and lift her gaze. In front of her stood the Gryffindor boys, both wearing Muggle clothes. Ron looked positively furious. But when she laid her eyes on Harry, her mouth literally fell open. Fortunately, nobody seemed to notice. He was positively good-looking this morning. The black locks of his dump hair fell gracefully at the sides of his face, and his flawless tanned skin had a healthy glow after a good-nights' sleep. The green T-shirt he was wearing complimented his vivid green eyes. She tore her gaze away from him with great difficulty and heard Draco saying, "I think I'll be leaving. I have some studying to do in the library. Crabbe, Goyle, come with me. Bye, Liliana!"

He got to his feet, shoved his books in his bag, and left quickly. Crabbe, Goyle, and Zabini followed him, though Zabini was still giving Ron and Harry murderous looks.

"I believe these seats aren't taken anymore, Ron," Harry said cheerfully, and sat down in front of Liliana.

"You want me to sit at the Slytherin table?" Ron asked incredulously. "Have you gone mental?"

_He's not helping me at all_, Harry thought. But he was determined to sit at the table.

Then Liliana looked up and said, "You are most welcome to stay, if you'd like, Ronald."

She put her books away and conjured a plate, a knife, and a fork.

"There's still a lot of food on the table," she said.

"Er…thanks," said Ron and sat down. He was hungry, and Liliana Karkaroff was not such a nasty person after all, he thought. He'd kind of enjoyed pairing with her for Potions the last week. She was just as clueless as he was, even worse.

"So, Potter", she said, "What did I do to gain your attention this time?"

Harry felt the irony behind her words and allowed himself time to answer as he conjured a plate, fork, and knife for himself.

"Are you coming on the trip to Hogsmeade tomorrow?" asked Ron, completely oblivious to the tension between Potter and Karkaroff.

"I can't," Liliana said, still trying to catch Harry's gaze. In the meantime, Harry was busying himself eating and turning the pages of Zabini's paper. "I must catch up with you guys in Potions class; otherwise I will not take the NEWTS."

"You will never be able to catch up, Karkaroff," Harry remarked casually, but not without some malice. "The fact is that I've never seen anyone so ignorant in Potions in my life. Everyone knows by now what a bezoar is…except you"

Liliana hesitated. She would either admit that she had never taken Potions classes before, or that she was a complete idiot. She fancied neither of the two options. Fortunately, a black owl stopped abruptly above her head and dropped a letter. A split second letter, it delivered a second letter, identical to hers, to Potter.

Liliana opened the letter and read: "Occlumency lesson, six o'clock on Tuesday evening. SS". She sneaked a look at Potter. He looked positively lightheaded.

"Are you ok, Harry?" asked Ron.

"Snape has summoned me for Occlumency again. I thought he gave up on those useless lessons."

"They should be very useful for you, Potter," came Liliana's sweet voice from opposite him, "since everyone knows that you are weak and you cannot control yourself. You should be very grateful to the professor because he's wasting his precious time teaching someone like you."

Potter gave her a nasty look.

"Don't assume you know anything about me, Karkaroff. It has become obvious to me by now, that your father, Krum, and others, Snape included, told you some stories about me. The fact is that you've got a very wrong idea about what I can do and what I cannot do!"

"I don't need to hear stories about you to know how weak you are. You let yourself lured by Voldemort two years ago, and thanks to you, the whole wizarding world is now in danger once again," she hissed.

Harry jumped to his feet, and Liliana did the same. Startled by their sudden outburst, Ron jumped too, forgetting about his food.

"What's wrong with you people? Please don't start a fight here, a teacher might just walk in. We're in the Great Hall…"

But Potter had had enough of Liliana's insults.

"I swear, if you weren't a igirl/i,"he said through gritted teeth, "I would hex you right here."

Liliana drew her wand.

"You're all talk, Potter," she sneered.

And that did it. For the first time in his life, Harry Potter was the one to draw his wand and attack another wizard first.

"_Stupefy_!"

"_Experlliamus_!" she reacted promptly.

Then, they heard screams coming for the other tables. People had never witnessed a duel in the middle of the Great Hall. An indescribable roar was caused by their fight. Some students were trying to get in the Great Hall to see what was happening; others wanted desperately to get out.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"

And before they could lower their wands, McGonagall was near them, lips pursed angrily and a murderous look in her brown eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter five – Ginny's Unexpected Encounter**

"Two months of detention? Whenever the Heads are too busy to patrol?!"

Hermione was looking positively outraged. It was nine o'clock in the evening, and they were all gathered in the Gryffindor Common Room.

"I said the same thing," Harry replied. "I told her it was totally unfair and…"

"Oh, I'd say she was much too kind," said Hermione. "Fighting in the Great Hall, with little children around… Have you gone mad, Harry? And for what? She's a Slytherin, and they make a habit out of psychically torturing other people. And Malfoy must have told her a lot of things about you, from his own perspective…"

"Are you defending her now?" Harry interrupted angrily.

But before Hermione could answer, Ginny cut in: "I think we should not blame _Malfoy_ for this. Who knows what this girl is really after! It is obvious that she hates Harry. I saw the way she looks at you, Harry. There's so much loathing in her gaze… I don't know what her problem is anyway…You helped her against Bellatrix."

"Well, she owes me a sort of life debt after all, doesn't she?" Harry suddenly realized.

"Harry cut the crap, she'll never admit that she owes you anything," said Ron, a little worried for his friend. "I wouldn't go anywhere near that girl anymore. Next time she sees you she'll probably use the Cruciatus curse on you."

"I'm afraid it's impossible to avoid her now, Ron", Harry said distastefully. "We'll be serving detention together."

"What?"

"McGonagall said that if we were so eager to use spells, we could discharge the Heads of their duty to patrol the school after curfew. So we'll be doing that for the next two months to allow the Heads to study for their NEWTS."

"But patrolling will take you at least two hours! The only hope is that the Heads won't abuse of your time. It's their duty after all," Hermione said, rather revolted this time. "When will you have the time to study for your exams?"

Harry shrugged. "I should have thought about that before hexing her in the Great Hall. We could have taken it somewhere else."

"Somewhere else?! That's not the point, Harry!" said Hermione. "I don't understand what the issue is here. All right, she might have insulted you…"

"What were you two were doing at the Slytherin table this morning, anyway?" Ginny interrupted.

"Harry wanted to sit there. I told him we'd better go, but he insisted we stayed and she said that we… in fact, _I_ was welcome to stay…"

Ron faltered under Hermione's gaze.

"You?" she asked softly.

"Yes me…"

"And you just had to say yes! Among all the students in this school, I bet the two of you were the most welcome at the Slytherin table. Honestly, Ron, isn't it obvious that it was meant to be a trap from the very beginning?" Hermione raised her arms in desperation.

"She did not ask us to go there in the first place!" Ron replied, growing red in the face.

"I think I am coming closer to discovering what the issue really is about this girl…" said Ginny, giving Harry an inquisitive look.

"Well, let me know when you find out," Harry said sarcastically, and left the room.

"I think he's interested in her. I mean _really_ interested…" Ginny said to Hermione, moments later, when Ron left the common room after Harry.

"Oh, Ginny," said Hermione, shaking her head. "I am really, really sorry for you. But how can you be sure?"

"You know how obsessed I've been with Harry all these years," said Ginny. "It was impossible for me not to see that he's been spending a lot of time staring at the Slytherin table lately."

"I'm sorry," Hermione said simply.

"Don't be, Hermione, it's not like she's interested in him too. I think she actually hates his guts," Ginny said, grinning, as she got to her feet. "I think I shall go for a walk, before I turn in."

Hermione nodded and took her book from the table in front of her.

* * *

Ginny walked past the portrait frame and found herself in the dark corridor. She carefully went down a flight of stairs and entered the Great Hall, walking very close to the wall so she wouldn't be spotted. Filch didn't seem to be around anyway._ He's probably out, doing his tour_, Ginny thought and headed for the Dungeons. She had come to enjoy walking around the Slytherin rooms lately, hoping that one night she might find out their password. That would have really been an asset for the Gryffindors, though in so many centuries since Hogwarts had been founded, no member of one House could ever found out the password to get in the common room of another House.

Also, Filch generally avoided this part of the castle because it was cold and windy, so Ginny felt particularly safe in the Dungeons from this point of view. She passed by Snape's office, which was quiet as always, and she was moving towards another flight of stairs, when she saw light coming from a deserted classroom. She had never been there before, and she advanced cautiously still glancing over her shoulder to make sure that Snape wouldn't be unexpectedly coming out of his office and spot her. The old classroom was fairly lighted by fires from under several cauldrons; it was also very warm inside, as all the potions in the cauldrons were boiling. Finally, in a corner, Ginny could see Draco Malfoy, who was carefully adding an ingredient to one of the potions. Ginny's mouth fell in the outmost surprise. Draco was wearing black jeans and a grey shirt which was unbuttoned, probably because of the heat in the room, thus exposing his sculpted chest and abdomen. He looked absolutely gorgeous, Ginny thought, trying to tear his eyes from Malfoy's body. She was so flustered that she barely registered the sound of footsteps behind her. She managed to hide behind the next classroom's door just in time to see that the intruder was another Slytherin: Liliana Karkaroff.

She was wearing her high-healed boots and what seemed to be a uniform. She was in a rush and did not seem to spot Ginny. She stopped abruptly on the doorstep, when she noticed Malfoy.

"Draco", she said breathlessly, grinning.

Ginny could not see Draco's reaction from where she was hidden. She was sure though that the two Slytherins had some kind of secret rendezvous. What Ginny was not sure of was whether this was some kind of snogging session or a meeting to plan the destruction of Hogwarts, with all the potions they were brewing. She drew closer to the door of the other classroom just in time to see Malfoy coming towards Karkaroff with a very self-satisfied smirk on his face, before the latter kicked the door closed right Ginny's face. The Gryffindor winced in pain, as the door handle collided with her forehead. One second later, she heard Malfoy calling, "What was that?" and the door swung open once again. Still dizzy from the hard contact with the door handle, Ginny tried to run away, but she was promptly caught by Malfoy before she could reach the stairs.

"Look what we've got here," he drawled, catching Ginny's arm and slamming her hard against the rough wall of the Dungeon. "One nosy little Weasel girl..."

Ginny observed that Malfoy was carrying his wand, so she reckoned that it would be rather foolish of her to retort that exact instant. Also, a furious Liliana Karkaroff was the last person Ginny wanted to see around. Though she did not like the brunette at all, Ginny was sure the Durmstrang girl was skilled in the use of dark hexes.

Her eyes traveled from Malfoy's chest to his cold, grey eyes. As he was quite tall, the top of her head hardly reached his chin. He was not smiling at all and he was quite intimidating.

"Come to spy on us, have you now?" he asked menacingly and pointed his wand at her throat.

"I wasn't spying," she managed to say, though she was slightly trembling. She prayed Malfoy would not notice. "I came to take a walk..."

Malfoy laughed, looking down at her in disbelief. Ginny knew that she had to come with a better explanation immediately; otherwise the consequences could be severe. Quite the contrary, all Ginny was able to do at that moment was to revel in the way Draco's warm body felt against her own. Reason seamed to be deserting her. She felt as if her knees were about to give out any second. Thank Merlin that Malfoy still pinned her wrists against the wall, she thought.

Draco's patience was running thin, and he was about to use his transfiguration expertise on the Weasel-freak, when he heard Liliana's voice behind him.

"What's going on?" she asked. "Who is it?"

"The Weasel-girl," Draco snorted, as Liliana approached them.

"Calm down. We'll _obliviate_ her, if we have to," she said. "No big deal." She took Draco's wand to perform the spell, but at that very moment, Ginny managed to push Malfoy aside and ran away. He wanted to follow her, but the other girl grabbed his hand.

"Don't, Draco. Who's she going to tell about us?"

"Her stupid friends," he said, annoyed.

"It doesn't matter. What can they do, Potter and his Dream Team? We're not doing anything illegal, after all."

"No, we're not," he agreed.

They returned in the classroom.

"What Snape is doing should be illegal!" Draco began, as soon as Liliana started to look around to all the potions and adding ingredients she had brought with her to some of them. "You can't even come to Hogsmeade with me, because of these..."

"Look, don't be so annoyed", she said. "If I finish all of them tonight, I can come with you tomorrow. If not..." She sighed. "I'll never know what Honeydukes is like."

"I don't understand why he's making you do all this in such a short time. It is inhuman."

"If I want to stay alive, I need to train, Draco. The professor knows what he's doing."

"Whatever," Malfoy said. "We should go back to the Common Room before we are spotted. Help me put a disillusionment charm on the room."

"Do you think it will work?"

"Against Filch? Are you kidding?" Draco grinned. "Of course it will work!"

Disillusionment charm on, they climbed the stairs.

"Listen, Malfoy," Liliana said, "thanks for helping me with the potions. The Dreamless Sleep Draught would probably be ruined if you hadn't been there."

Draco smirked. "Next time you're going to serve detention with Potter, remember that it's not worth starting a fight with that dolt. It will only get you another detention. I know from my own experience."

"Detention is scheduled for Sunday," she said. "I was late because I ran into Dumbledore while I was heading for the Dungeons."

"Oh," Draco said, suddenly sulking at the sound of the Headmaster's name. "Still, I can't believe you picked up a fight with Potty-face in the Great Hall! Not very smart of you, I must say..."

"We didn't have the time to fight. If we had, he wouldn't be around anymore," she said, rolling her eyes. "It was stupid, but he has a way of pushing my buttons... you have no idea."

"But I DO, trust me," Draco said, as they entered the Common Room.

* * *

"Hey, what's going on?" Hermione asked Ginny the next morning. The red-haired was buttering her toast absentmindedly. She had not said a word all morning.

"Nothing," she muttered her eyes unfocused.

"Blimey, Ginny, you should give up on your night strolls and go to sleep earlier," Ron said, looking preoccupied. He was suspecting that she was seeing a new boyfriend outside their House. "You might even fall asleep during Potions today…"

"Don't exaggerate, Ron," said Harry. "She'll be ok."

Finally, Ginny snapped out of her reverie and looked at Harry.

"Can I talk to you in private, after breakfast?"

Ron eyed them suspiciously. He did not like private conversations between his little sister and boys, even if the boy was Harry Potter, his best friend. Ginny ignored him and took a bite of her toast, her gaze wondering to the Slytherin table for the twentieth time that morning. Malfoy was not there. Ginny had been up all night, unable to sleep or even think about anything else than what had happened. She had been replaying the previous night's events at least a thousand times in her mind. The trouble was she rather enjoyed thinking about Malfoy being so close to her, instead of being angry or ready to take her revenge. She couldn't understand why she suddenly felt like that in Malfoy's presence. Since when had Draco become such a good looking bastard? Well, she had always known him to be a bastard, but she had never considered him attractive. She had always worshiped Harry and loathed all Slytherins in general and Malfoy in particular, since his father had used her as bait in her first year at Hogwarts. But seeing him the previous night in that classroom, wearing that unbuttoned shirt instead of his school uniform had made her suddenly aware of how beautiful he really was. And leaving him with Liliana Karkaroff in that Dungeon had made her angry for apparently no particular reason. She was still saying to herself that it was not jealousy what she felt. Ginny knew she had to tell Harry about the two Slytherins secretly meeting in the deserted classroom in the Dungeons to brew so many unidentified Potions. Nevertheless, she didn't want to tell him more than she wanted to share. Her intimate confrontation to Malfoy would definitely have to be left out of the story.

"Sure," said Harry, looking a bit concerned.

Ginny saw Malfoy entering the Great Hall that instant, and the jolt in her stomach did not make her feel any better. She averted her eyes, only to look at him a moment later. He walked straight to his table and sat down. She noticed that he looked rather pale and nervous, unlike someone who would have spent the night snogging his girlfriend.

It was Sunday, and students were ready to leave for Hogsmeade at eleven o'clock.

"Well, we have one more hour before we take our leave. I'll be in the library until then," Hermione announced and dashed out of view, before Ron could say anything about working on Sundays.

Ginny cleared her throat loudly.

"I think you should follow her example," she said to Ron, when her brother did not make any move to leave.

"What?"

"I told you I needed to speak to Harry alone for a moment," she clarified dryly.

Ron scowled at her but submitted to her request nevertheless. He went away and left the two of them sitting alone at the table.

"Harry," she said, "I really needed to talk to you about something."

Harry prayed Ginny wouldn't want to talk about the two of them getting together.

"Yesterday evening I took a short walk around the school. I went to the Dungeons, mostly because Filch doesn't go there too often. And I saw something in one of the classrooms Snape doesn't use anymore."

Harry gestured at her to go on, now genuinely interested in hearing what she had discovered.

"You ran into Snape?" he couldn't help asking, before Ginny had the chance to open her mouth again. "What happened? Did he take points from us?"

"No, that's not the problem. I saw two students there, brewing different potions. A lot of potions!"

"What do you mean, _a lot of potions_?"

"There were boiling cauldrons all over the place…"

"Right under Snape's nose? I can't believe that!"

"I couldn't believe it myself!"

"Well, did you see anyone?"

Ginny smiled. "I sure did. That's why I am worried about those potions. It was Malfoy and Karkaroff."

Harry frowned. "That's why Snape doesn't seem to care about what is going on right under his big nose. But how can Karkaroff brew? She can't even tell the difference between well-known ingredients! Did they spot you? No, probably not — otherwise you wouldn't still be alive…"

Harry realized he was talking to himself, because Ginny didn't seem to care about answering his queries anymore. Following her gaze, he saw Snape sitting near Malfoy at the deserted Slytherin table. Both looked very angry. Snape suddenly got up and prepared to leave, when Liliana Karkaroff entered the room in a hurry with a victorious look in her eyes. She stopped abruptly before Snape and told him something. The three of them rushed away.

"I bet it has something to do with those potions," Ginny said.

"I don't think it's a good moment to follow them. But tonight after curfew, I'll go check that classroom you told me about."

"You have to be extra careful," she agreed. "I'll tell you exactly where it is."

"All right," Harry said. Let's finish breakfast and meet the others in the Entrance Hall."

Ginny and Harry were waiting impatiently in the Entrance Hall for Ron and Hermione. The Hall was full of students, talking anxiously to one another. The Heads of the Houses were also there, making sure that all students under the age of thirteen who wanted to go to Hogsmeade had their parents' or guardians' written approval. Harry remembered with an unpleasant lurch in his stomach how horrible it had been a few years before for him not to be able to go to Hogsmeade with the other students.

Harry noticed with some degree of interest that Snape and his two favorite students had not returned from the Dungeons yet. It was interesting to see though how disciplined the Slytherins were, even in the absence of their self-proclaimed Prince and of their Head of House. They had formed a line near the wall and were waiting patiently. From Harry's point of view, they all looked the same, identical haughty expressions frozen on their faces. The older they got, the meaner they became, and he knew better to avoid them.

"Harry, are you ready?"

He jumped at Hermione's words and looked at her in surprise. He had not seen her coming.

"Of course I am ready," he snapped. "I am the one who's been waiting here for the past half an hour!"

"Calm down, mate," said Ron. "We'll leave in ten minutes. Here comes McGonagall!"

Indeed, their Head of House was coming towards him followed by a seventh year boy and girl whom Harry recognized as Gregory Michael and Callista Rainbow, this year's Head Boy and the Head Girl.

"I have a bad feeling about this," he said to Ron in a whisper.

"Mr. Potter!" she drawled. "I see you are ready to spend your day off in Hogsmeade…"

"Yes, Professor," Harry answered sheepishly. "Why? Is there a problem?"

"Fortunately for you, not. The Headmaster didn't agree with me when I told him that you and Miss Karkaroff should patrol the streets of Hogsmeade and make sure that everyone follows the rules we laid down for this trip. He left the job to the Heads, who already have a lot of work on their hands"! She seemed appalled by this idea. "Where is that girl, anyway?"

"Sorry?"

"Liliana Karkaroff? I don't see her anywhere!"

"I don't want to sound sarcastic, Professor," said Harry, "but I do not make a habit out of looking out for students from other Houses, especially for the ones I most certainly dislike."

"Why don't you ask Mr. Malfoy, instead, Professor?" Ginny suggested innocently.

"Listen carefully, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said to him, completely ignoring Ginny. "You will meet tonight with Gregory and Callista in the Entrance Hall, at eight o'clock to start your detention. No excuses!"

With that, she turned on her heel and left, the Heads following her closely.

"I think she is really angry with you, mate," Ron said, pointing out the obvious. "Clearly, saving the wizarding world countless times will not gain you any special status in McGonagall's eyes. I think you need to stay very low-profile for the next few days."

"I agree with Ron," Hermione said. "I think…"

But she saw that Snape, who had just climbed the stairs leading from the Dungeons to the Entrance Hall, had caught Harry's attention. He wasn't alone. Liliana Karkaroff and Draco Malfoy were following him. Karkaroff had an odd happy look on her face and was carrying a book with a dark cover.

The Slytherin professor quickly verified that all his students had the necessary papers. Malfoy shoved Liliana's book in his bag and offered his left arm to her politely. They walked off with the other students.

"Good old Snape, always favoring his students," Harry snorted.

"Of course, what did you think? Do you think everyone's like McGonagall?" Ron replied.

"But why is everyone favoring her?" Harry said angrily. "She breaks all the rules in this school, and she is never punished unless she does something outrageous in front of the whole school!" He stopped abruptly seeing Hermione's gaze. Of course, she was not aware of _all_ the things Karkaroff had done at Hogwarts.

"Come on, let's go," Harry said briskly, and started for the massive castle door. He felt immensely irritated by everything around him.

When they reached Hogsmeade, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny made their first stop at Madame Malkin's, because Hermione needed a new school skirt. Then, they went to Honeydukes to buy some of their favorite sweets. Third stop was The Three Broomsticks, where Ginny had a date with Dean Thomas. Hermione, Ron, and Harry bought Butterbeer for themselves and left her snogging Dean at one of the tables. Ron was dying to see his brothers' newly opened shop, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. And he wasn't disappointed at all when he stepped in. The twins were displaying all the merchandise Harry had seen at the Burrow before and many other new products, some of them even brought from abroad.

The owners grinned happily when they saw the trio entering.

"We were wondering when you'd show up! Everyone is here, except you three," said Fred.

Harry looked around noticing that the shop was full of students of all ages and from all Houses. Cho and her new boyfriend, Michael Corner, were inspecting the shelves, holding hands. Crabbe and Goyle were buying fake wands. Neville had caught his hand in what looked like the rubber tentacles of a micro imitation of the giant squid, and was fighting to get rid of them. And, in a corner, he spotted Liliana Karkaroff, alone, looking distractedly at the new series of Skiving Snackboxes. Harry pretended to continue to look around but, suddenly, his attention was concentrated on the girl, who hadn't seen him yet. He hated himself instantly for not being able to think about anything else than her when she was around. He definitely detested her as much as he detested Malfoy. Ok, maybe a bit more…that would explain everything. Resolutely, he walked to the back of the shop where the twins were showing some recently arrived merchandise to Ron.

"These are amazing," they were saying.

Harry saw a box of ten bubble gums of different colors.

"They contain traces of a potion very similar to Veritaserum," George said. "At first, you feel a bit dizzy, but it only lasts for a few seconds, so you don't get suspicious about it. Then, after a few hours, you just need to spill everything you know about the subjects you are asked about…they are great!"

"Really?" Harry asked, interested by the power of the bubble gum.

"I tried one. It's true," Fred grinned. "Fortunately, Mum was not around to ask me embarrassing questions."

"Really?" Harry repeated. "I would like to buy a box of these." An idea had come to him. Maybe there was a way to get back at Karkaroff for all her insults after all.

"No way, Harry," George laughed and handed him the small box. "Consider it a present. Use it as you please. We'll soon have a few hundred of them for sale. They will be arriving in four or five days."

"Excellent, thanks boys." Harry smiled and returned to the shop, his bubblegum box in hand.

He made his way through the crowd with great difficulty. He needed to convince Karkaroff to take a bubblegum now, when he had the chance, if he wanted to ask her questions during their patrolling.

"Hello," he said to her.

She turned to face him, nearly dropping the trick wand she was holding.

"What do you want, Potter?"

"Just to say hello," he said, trying to smile. His pulse had tripled just being in front of her. He observed that her earlier happy mood was gone and that she looked rather nervous herself. "And to tell you that we are supposed to meet the Heads tonight at eight o'clock in the Entrance Hall to start our detention."

"Er…OK, Potter, thanks," she said politely and turned to leave.

"Would you like a piece of bubblegum?" he asked quickly. "As a peace offering," he added.

She looked at the box in his hand suspiciously.

"What do these do?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing, I bought them at the Honeydukes, not here," he lied as well as he could.

"Whatever," she said coolly. "It's not like I'm afraid of bubblegum, even if you are the one offering them, Potter." She took a blue one and put it in her mouth defiantly.

Harry caught his breath waiting for the result of his little trick. But then something unexpected happened.

Liliana became very pale within seconds. She dropped the trick wand and started to shiver uncontrollably. She gave a short yelp of fright, as pain seared through her and leaned to the shop window, trying hard to steady herself, but it proved impossible. Harry and the people around her tried to grab her arms, but she shoved them away. She was trying to get out of the store, but she didn't have enough strength. She collapsed on the floor shivering. Her nose was slightly bleeding. People had started to scream, when Draco Malfoy barged in, followed by Blaise Zabini.

"Quickly!" Malfoy shouted. "Let's place her down on the counter!" He held Liliana up, while Zabini grabbed her legs.

"What's wrong?" Malfoy asked her, holding her hand and cleaning blood on her face with a swift motion of his wand.

She made an effort get up and say something, but fell down again. Malfoy took a small bottle out of his robes and tried to give her something to drink. She jerked his hand away.

Draco turned to look at Zabini. The other boy nodded and Draco said in a low voice: "iExpecto patronum/i!" A small eagle of light erupted from the end of his wand. "Tell Professor Snape to come here. Liliana is in danger. Someone has poisoned her!" he instructed his Patronus.

Harry who had watched the whole scene in the outmost disbelief finally found his voice:

"She was not poisoned! I…I gave her a bubblegum. One of these," he added and showed Malfoy the box in his hand.

"Potter!" Malfoy said angrily. "I should have known it was you! But I'll deal with you latter."

In the next quarter of hour, Liliana did not seem to get better; on the contrary, she grasped Draco's hand violently. Her skin was slowly turning red-violet. Fortunately, by the time Draco was slightly starting to lose his calm, Snape hastily entered the shop. He was carrying a bag full of potions and his wand. He pushed Draco away from Liliana and ordered the students out of the shop. Nobody complied, though.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Potter gave her some poisoned bubblegum," Malfoy replied warily.

"They are not poisoned," Fred intervened promptly. "I tested them. She must have a reaction to some ingredient."

Liliana managed to pull Snape to her and whisper something into his ear. He nodded and grabbed his bag quickly. He brought a small bottle to her lips.

"That should do it," he whispered back. She took a sip from the bottle and a few minutes later, she stopped shivering and managed to stand up. Malfoy had stopped her nosebleed, and she seemed to have recovered. Snape turned his attention to Potter, as did Malfoy.

"What were you trying to pull, Potter, poisoning Miss Karkaroff?" Snape barked, while Malfoy looked positively mad with anger.

"I DID NOT POISON HER!" Harry protested. "It was just…"

"We'd better go, Professor. I may need to lie down," Liliana said softly, and walked towards the door, without looking at him.

Snape followed her after giving Harry a hateful look, but Malfoy remained in the shop. He pointed his wand at Harry and said icily: "Next time you get anywhere near her, Potter, I'll curse you into nothingness. I swear!"

There was so much hate and determination in his words that for once, Harry knew that Malfoy was not showing off. With that, Malfoy exited the shop, leaving Harry surrounded by the scrutinizing gazes of at least twenty people.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 – A Dark Mark**

The rumor made the tour of the school at top speed. The Boy-Who-Lived had just poisoned the only survivor of the Durmstrang attack…Harry regretted immensely that he was not of age to Apparate somewhere else, anywhere else other than Hogwarts. He had not felt this bad since his fourth year, when he had been designated as one of the champions in the Triwizard Tournament. But even then, there had been some people who believed his side of the story. Not this time. At least twenty people had seen him offering "poisoned" bubblegum to Karkaroff.

Then it was also Malfoy playing hero of the school and saving the Durmstrang demoiselle in distress. Everyone was talking about it.

And the rumor had also spread among the teachers. Some were obviously disappointed with him, others gave him accusatory gazes (like McGonagall).

But Harry didn't care about any of these small details.

All he could think about was that he had almost caused Liliana Karkaroff's death that afternoon. He was sure that if Snape had been delayed a bit, she would have probably died. _What was I thinking_?, Harry wondered, bemused at his own doing. Why had he suddenly felt such a need to retaliate against someone whom he barely knew?

It was true that she had been pushing his buttons in a way that even Malfoy had not been able to do before. It was also undeniable that Harry had never really given a damn about Draco's petty insults. On the other hand, everything Liliana Karkaroff was doing seemed to be against school rules. She had been rude and cruel to Harry, ordering him around, and even though Harry had been used to a considerably large number of people mistreating him ever since he was a kid, starting with his Uncle Vernon and ending up with Severus Snape, he was not disposed to take that anymore. He was now old enough to stand up for himself, thank you very much.

Then again, when Karkaroff arrived, Harry had already been trying for two months to find out what Draco Malfoy had been plotting. And now, she seemed associated to whatever wrongdoing he was up to.

No wonder that he would serve her Veritaserum to find out what they were up to. But there was no way he could have anticipated an adverse reaction to that stupid bubblegum. And now he had to put up with all this frustrating situation. He sighed. If Dumbledore hadn't stopped seeing Harry since Karkaroff had arrived, perhaps Harry's mind had been concentrating on something else than that annoying girl and the Malfoy git.

And now he had to put up with two hours of detention with her. The detention was not the problem. He rather looked forward to the task, since it was much better than he generally had to do during his hours of detention, but he hated the fact that now he had to walk around the castle with the Slytherin freak. He was beginning to wonder if she would try to curse him after today's events.

With these thoughts swirling in his head, Harry proceeded towards the Entrance Hall. It was nearly eight o'clock.

* * *

Liliana walked back to the castle with Draco, Snape, and Zabini. Malfoy kept his distance from Snape and Liliana all the way to Hogwarts. He was still a bit angry with Liliana because she had let Potter get away so easily. He lingered behind with Blaise, while Snape and Liliana were talking in a low voice.

"I am sorry for the whole thing," she said. "You were probably busy, and I ruined your day."

"Potter is the one who should be sorry, Liliana. And you did not "ruin" anything. You were in mortal danger back there."

"No, I told you, it's my fault. He offered the damn bubblegum, and I was the one who decided to take them."

"I can't believe you are defending the damn idiot," Snape said angrily.

"I am not," she said hastily. "I am just pointing out that it was I who made the decision. He did not force me, and I was perfectly aware of the fact that he was planning a small revenge…"

"I really don't understand you sometimes, Liliana," Severus replied harshly. "What was about that bubblegum that made you feel that bad, anyway?"

"Kantunya essence," Liliana whispered. "It has a terrible effect on me. The first time I stayed in hospital for one week."

Complete apprehension could be read on Snape's face as he stopped abruptly and started to laugh.

"I can't believe it!"

"Well, you should, because it's the truth," Liliana snapped, as Snape fell into step back next to her.

"I didn't know people could be allergic to that flower. It's bloody ludicrous…"

She looked hurt, and he gave her an apologetic look.

"Look, I needed to talk to you anyway, because Dumbledore has asked to see you again. It seems like things have not moved in the right direction, like we thought they would. We need to think of a plan together."

"Well, that is good news," she whispered glancing over her shoulder at Draco, who was conversing with Blaise.

"I don't think you are ready for the task, but he still wants to talk to you. We will not do, of course, anything without your consent; this is why the Headmaster needs to see you first."

Liliana shifted uneasily.

"And he will see Potter after that?"

"The less Potter knows about it, the better," the potions mater said.

Liliana didn't say anything. She stared at the ground, thinking hard.

Behind her, Blaise Zabini noticed the sudden silence that had fallen between Snape and Liliana.

"Tell me, Draco," he said, "what's the deal with you and Karkaroff?"

Malfoy's eyes flickered with amusement.

"What's wrong with you, Blaise?"

"I noticed that you spend a lot of time with her, and in general, when you spend a lot of time with a girl is because you are taking interest in her."

"Or because I can't help it," he sniggered, thinking of Pansy Parkinson.

"Leave that…tell me, is she your girlfriend?"

"She's much more than a girlfriend to me, Blaise. She's my _friend_. She seems to understand me completely. Sometimes I even fear that a bit," he added, his eyes lingering on Liliana' silhouette.

"I'd be careful, if I were you. She must not know of our plans. It's too dangerous for anyone else to know except the four of us. I already have concerns about Crabbe and Goyle's ability to rise up to the task."

"Damn it, Blaise, I am afraid _I _will not be able to go through with it!" Draco snapped angrily. His fury seemed to be directed more at himself than at Blaise.

"So…tonight we'll meet in the Room of Requirement?" Zabini asked warily.

Draco's grey eyes glittered again.

"Yes, we'll meet there. I have a new idea how to fix those damn cabinets…I'll take Crabbe and Goyle and meet you there."

They were just entering school's grounds, and Snape and Liliana had stopped to wait for them. That meant that the conversation had to be over for now.

* * *

Later that evening, Draco walked Liliana to the Entrance Hall, where Harry was already waiting for her to start their detention. They were closely followed by Crabbe and Goyle, who were bickering over something unidentified.

"If the git tries anything funny, just send me a _Patronus_. I'll be here in a minute and teach him…"

"Draco," Liliana said wistfully, "if I get the chance to use my wand, be sure that I'll curse him first and send you a message later."

He grinned.

"Bye then."

She smiled back, but the smile did not quite reach her eyes.

"Bye!"

Malfoy crossed the Entrance Hall and took the stairs to his left, Crabbe and Goyle flanking him, still bickering.

Harry watched Liliana as she stayed rooted to the spot, staring after them, a concerned look on her face. He bit back an unpleasant remark about that. The arrival of the Heads made Liliana move in Harry's direction, though she still seemed preoccupied by something. She merely glanced at him. Harry remained silent, though it would have been polite to at least greet her and the Heads.

"All right," Gregory drawled. "This patrolling is a very serious thing. It's not about taking points from other Houses or punishing students. It's about making sure that the younger students are safe and that everyone respects the rules after curfew. Got it?"

"So take it seriously," the Head Girl, Callista, added. "Especially because some teachers also happen to patrol or take a stroll around the castle at night."

"We heard about your incident earlier on, Potter. The only reason you are serving detention together like this is because McGonagall does not want to lose face to Snape. Otherwise you'd be both scrubbing the floors in the kitchens."

"All right," Potter said. "We get the point. We will not use our wands on each other tonight."

The Heads looked warily at Liliana, afraid she would take her revenge on Potter if occasion presented itself.

She noticed them and smirked.

"He'll still be in one piece when patrolling is over. I don't need another detention."

"Very well," said Callista, "you are your own then. You'll go from the top of the castle to the Dungeons. Restricted areas are off-patrolling."

"Good night," Gregory said and lit his wand. "You might want to add some extra clothes, Potter, some parts of the castle are really drafty."

With that, the Heads turned around and left the hall. Harry and Liliana watched them go. They both noticed how Callista caught the boy's hand under the long sleeve of his robes. Harry gave a soft laugh. There had always been rumors about the Heads and how they got together in general because of the vicinity of their dorms.

Liliana glanced at Harry nervously and cursed inwardly for having done that. Potter seemed to have developed a strange sense of fashion lately. He was wearing jeans and a black T- shirt that were complementing his looks. She had always been surrounded by Quidditch players, most of them good-looking, but she had never paid attention to them. Why would Potter be any different?

Harry allowed himself to take a good look at his patrolling partner, taking advantage of the fact that she seemed to be contemplating a portrait of Nicolas Flammel on the wall in front of them. She had given up the uniform and was sporting a red top and the tight black jeans she had been wearing when she had first arrived from Durmstrang. There was no sword in sight, but she was still wearing her high-heeled boots. He had to admit to himself that even though she had an obnoxious temper, this girl was pretty nonetheless.

Liliana suddenly looked at him, and Harry found himself blushing. He hoped to have gotten over that stage thanks to his relationship with Cho the previous year, but apparently, he was wrong. Funny thing, the Durmstang hero also seemed to be very embarrassed. Before Harry could say a word, she hurried towards the stairs. Harry caught up with her and they climbed the stairs in complete silence.

He ended up leading the way because he knew Hogwarts better than her. The fourth floor was very quiet. The silence between them was deafening, and Harry hated it. In reality, he had been looking forward to having the chance to be so close to this girl, to talk to her, to uncover her mystery. But Liliana was obstinately keeping her mouth shut, and Harry could not blame her after what he had done to her earlier today. She probably hated him even more than before, if that were possible. He glanced at his watch as they walked through the dark corridor. Only a quarter of an hour had gone. Almost two more hours of this?

Next they went to the Ravenclaw tower, which wasn't so quiet. It seemed that the Ravenclaws were having a little party going on, as they had just won a Quidditch game against the Hufflepuffs.

Harry was not sure what to do because he did not have the authority to take house points or to give detentions to other students. Before he could think it thoroughly, they bumped into two Ravenclaws who were snogging right in the middle of the corridor, without even having the decency to hide a bit from public eye.

"Hey, you should not be here," he said, "and you are not allowed to…"

"What's your problem, Potter?" the Ravenclaw boy snorted angrily. "It's none of your business…"

"It is, since I am designated by the Deputy Headmistress to patrol. I am filling in for the Heads…"Harry retorted, but he suddenly felt his wrist caught by a warm hand. He stopped in his tracks glancing over his shoulder at Liliana.

"Leave them alone," she said, looking amused. "You two, move over there where you are less in danger of being spotted. Heard that Snape is going to take a tour around here tonight. He's aware of your little party…"

Harry hid his sneer. She was pretty good at telling lies. The Ravenclaws thanked her and entered their common room. A minute later, the sound of music had faded considerably.

"Sometimes you have to be more subtle, Potter, to obtain what you want," she said.

"Slytherin," he muttered.

"Is that supposed to be an insult or a compliment?"

Harry could not help smiling.

"It's never a compliment."

They descended to the next floor, much more relaxed. At least now we're talking, Harry thought.

"Look," he said, "about what happened this afternoon. I had no idea what the bubblegum could do. They were just supposed to…er…"

Liliana glanced at him expectantly.

"Well make you want to talk…answer my questions…there were some traces of Veritaserum in it."

Instead of being mad at him, she burst into laughter.

"And what were those pressing questions of yours, Potter?"

"If you're not going to answer them, why even bother to ask?"

"True enough," she said, and there was silence.

They were now on the second floor and passed by several teachers' offices.

"How come you did not land me in detention? You would have been in the right to do so," Harry asked, still confused about Liliana's disconcerting attitude that afternoon.

"Potter, as you said, your intention was not to kill me. You had no idea what those bubblegum contained, of that I am pretty sure. You were just trying to pull a nasty trick on me tonight, were you not?"

"Well, yes," he admitted. "Aren't you mad at me because I wanted to play a trick on you?"

"Don't be so dense, Potter," she laughed again. "I knew what you wanted, and I played along…"

"But why though?" he enquired.

"For fun, I guess. In fact, I really liked that shop. I was just thinking how to play some tricks on you myself when you served me the bubblegum. I really liked those Dungbombs…"

"You mean…like these?" they heard a drawling voice from somewhere above them. Harry tilted his head upwards and saw Peeves, the poltergeist, looking down at them, sneer in place and Dungbombs prepared to be launched at them.

"What in Merlin's name is that?" Liliana asked, confused.

"Oh, if it isn't the two losers patrolling! What, the Heads had enough of Dungbombs? Sent you instead?"

"Go away, Peeves!" Harry shouted.

"You wish, Potty!" Peeves laughed madly and launched all his Dungbombs at them at the same time. Some splattered on the floor; Harry ducked in time to avoid one which hit the wall behind him.

"Dodge this, Potter!" Peeves yelled and launched the last one he had kept as a bonus.

Great reflexes thanks to years spent as a Seeker allowed Harry to pull Liliana towards him just in time to help her avoid the impact of the Dungbomb. Peeves disappeared quickly, swearing, and the students remained alone in the corridor, in complete darkness. Harry had his wand in the pocket of his jeans. Liliana had dropped hers, when he had pulled her in his arms to protect her.

For a split second they did not move. Harry could feel Liliana's hair on his face and her quick breath on his neck. That seemed disturbing enough to stop him from thinking. He only prayed that the girl would not notice how flustered he was.

He felt her pulling back a few moments later. The darkness had been somehow comforting and protective. For what seemed like a small eternity, Harry had felt like in a quiet oasis, enjoying the warmth of Liliana body in his arms.

He reached for his wand and illuminated the place. Liliana recovered her wand and performed a scouring charm. The effect of the Dungbombs vanished, but they both were very embarrassed and avoided eye contact. They were about to resume patrolling, when they heard someone screaming from the first floor and rushed down the stairs.

They stopped abruptly in the hallway when they found the source of the trouble: a giant spider had trapped a small first year boy in a dim corner. Harry knew that the spider had to be one coming from the Forbidden Forest, but what he could not possible comprehend was how it could have entered the castle and managed to get to the first floor.

"Move out of the way, Potter," Harry heard Liliana say, as she pointed her wand at the giant spider.

"I'll get rid of it," he said. "There is a very simple spell for that and I have used it before…"

"You heard me, Potter," she drawled, coming closer to the spider.

"Let me take care of it, Karkaroff, you don't know…"

But Liliana pushed him aside. Harry grabbed her arm and her spell hit the wall instead of the spider.

"Stop it, you don't need to stun it…"

"Shove off, Potter, I don't have time to play with you now."

The boy gave another frightened squeak.

"_Reducio_!" They heard a voice behind them. The spider shrunk to the size of a regular spider. Harry and Liliana turned to see Dumbledore and Snape both looking half irritated, half amused.

"Mr. Potter, Miss Karkaroff," the teachers greeted them. Liliana and Harry looked completely taken aback. They had been acting really irresponsible and they knew it. Snape had been the one to perform the spell, a very simple and effective spell.

"Professor Dumbledore," Harry said, staring at the floor.

"Too busy fighting over who will play hero this time, are we?" Snape spat angrily.

Instead, Dumbledore threw them a disappointed look and walked off, saying.

"Tomorrow, after Occlumency, I want to see you in my office, Harry."

"Yes, Professor," Harry muttered.

They watched as the first year student got detention from Snape for lingering in the hallways after curfew.

Liliana glanced at her watch.

"It's nearly ten o'clock. Time to check the Entrance Hall."

They went in silence in that direction. The ground floor was completely deserted, but Filch was waiting for them. He made an acknowledging sign towards them. Apparently, they were free to go.

"See you Potter," Liliana said, without looking at him, and went away.

"Yeah...see you." Harry was about to go towards the Gryffindor tower when he noticed that Liliana, instead of continuing for the Dungeons was climbing the stairs Draco had climbed earlier on, with Crabbe and Goyle.

Harry knew immediately that he could not deny himself the opportunity to finally find out what she and Malfoy were planning. This was an incredible chance to know what was really going on, why they were brewing so many potions, why Snape was giving them Dark spells books, why were she and Malfoy such good friends...

Harry did not have time to get his Invisibility Cloak, so he had to do without it. He sneaked carefully towards the first floor, following Liliana. Strangely, she didn't seem to have a clear direction herself. She was checking hesitantly the rooms on her right and on her left, and Harry realized that she was probably searching for Malfoy. They climbed like that to the last floor where Liliana stopped in her tacks listening attentively. Harry could not hear whatever she heard, because he was too far away from her. Then he saw her entering a room on her right. He lingered behind though, careful not to run into the Slytherins again.

* * *

Liliana couldn't wait for her detention with Potter to be over. All evening she had been thinking about Draco leaving with Crabbe and Goyle. Of course, he had told her a very nice lie, that he was going to teach them some spells, but Liliana knew better. Draco had been deeply preoccupied since he had received the letter from his father. He hadn't eaten, nor slept all weekend. He was pale and nervous, and though he tried hard to keep his composure, it didn't really work for him.

When she reached the top floor, she thought she heard someone sobbing from one of the boy's bathrooms. She opened the door carefully. The top floor was off-limits for students. It was a drafty and deserted place. She knew that chances bumping into some ordinary student were minimal. And she was right. The student lying on his knees, crying convulsively was not ordinary. He was the uncrowned prince of the Slytherin House, Draco Malfoy. His pale-blond hair was tangled and falling unto his eyes. He was holding in his right hand what seemed to be a letter.

He sprang to his feet, silver eyes wild with fear, when Liliana entered the room.

"Draco," she whispered, advancing towards him.

"Please leave," said Malfoy, pointing his wand at her with a shaking hand. "You cannot be here..."

"Oh, but I can," she said softly, catching his wand hand carefully, without breaking eye contact.

She took his wand and placed it on a sink next to them.

"Draco, I've been worried sick," she started, but before she could say anything, Draco succumbed to his knees again, trying hard to put a stop to his tears. He wiped his

face with the sleeve of his white shirt, but it was no use. They kept coming back.

Liliana dropped to her knees too.

"I know what's bothering you," she whispered.

"No, you don't!" he suddenly yelled. "No one does! And no one else should!"

"Tell me," she asked softly.

"No one must know," he insisted.

"Is Vol..."

"Don't say his name!"

"Is He Who-Must-Not-Be-Named threatening you? Or your family?"

"He will kill my parents if I fail. And he will kill me, for sure," he gasped.

"No, he will not," Liliana told him resolutely.

"I can't do it, Liliana," he said all of a sudden, grabbing her arms and starring at her, a wild look in his grey eyes. "I just can't!"

"Do what?" she asked, bemused.

He gazed at her one more time, as it to make sure if she was trustworthy, then gave her the letter.

"Read!" Draco commanded.

She took the letter and read it. There was merely half a page written down. When she glanced back at him, her eyes were cold.

"Listen to me, Draco," she started resolutely, cupping his face and making him look her in the eyes. "Nothing will happen to you or to your family. We'll make sure of that. I'll protect you, I promise. Do you trust me?"

"But how can you protect me, Liliana? He's after you, too, and the Death Eaters will hunt you down. You know that!"

"Your father included, if he has to" she sighed. "But I promise no harm will come to you. Lucius and Narcissa will be alright because they are loyal to him. And in the meantime, you'll assure ihim/i that everything is going to plan. I know you don't want to be one of them. You don't have it in you, Draco. Show me your arm!"

She lifted his sleeve and shivered at the sight of the dark sign engraved in Draco's pale skin. She traced it with her finger. Draco winced at her touch.

"It will be gone soon after he's gone," she said. "As long as we stay united, he will not be able to penetrate our defenses. We must trust each other, Draco. We'll make it!"

"Severus said he made an Unbreakable Vow to protect me," he said. "He knows, too. But I don't trust him. No one does among the Death Eaters, except for the Dark Lord himself."

"He works for us Draco. He's on our side."

"Do you trust him?"

"I trust you, Draco, if you trust me. And I promise I'll make sure nothing will happen to you."

Malfoy sobbing had stopped minutes ago. He looked solemnly in Liliana's green eyes and held her hand.

"Yeah, and I will protect you and trust only you," he said.

She kissed his forehead and pushed his hair off his eyes.

They got to their feet.

"We need to go back to our quarters now," she said.

They stepped out of the room, unaware of the fact that Harry Potter had been watching the whole scene from a distance. He had not heard a word they had said, but he had seen their every single gesture. He knew for a fact now that Malfoy had become a Death Eater and that he and Karkaroff were a little more than friends, a detail that apparently had slipped to Ginny.

**A/N Dear all,**

**The first chapters have been updated and a new chapter will be submitted soon. Cheers.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**** – An Appointment with Dumbledore**

On Monday morning Harry awoke with a start, feeling as if his head was going to implode. He pulled the covers off, sat on the edge of his bed, and glanced over at Ron, who was snoring soundly. He turned around to peek through the window. By the looks of it, the sun had not come up yet. It was still dark, and heavy rain was falling on the roof of the old castle. The noise it made was unpleasant. Harry liked extremes — sunny days and storms — but he hated chilly autumn rain.

He rubbed his forehead. He could not remember what he had dreamt about, but the pounding in his head gave witness to the night's concentration and pain. He got up and went to the window. The dark was dense and not very inviting. Harry saw his own reflection in the window glass and stepped back. His complexion was pale, and his hair was a mess. His eyes were dark and almost lifeless. He blinked and stared again. The same sixteen-year-old boy looked back at him with half of his face hidden in the shadows.

Then he remembered. Malfoy had become a Death Eater. It was not like Harry hadn't seen that coming. Since Malfoy-father had been thrown into Azkaban earlier that year, it had become clear to Harry that Draco would have to step in and take his father's place. But somehow, Lucius had managed to break out of prison a month after he had been taken into custody. Ron was appalled when he'd heard the news of Lucius' escape. He had been happy when the Malfoys had been publicly exposed as Dark Wizards, and he'd kept throwing it in Draco's face whenever he had the chance.

But Malfoy had been acting like nothing had happened. He'd kept strutting around the castle with the same disdainful smile on his face and the same arrogant attitude. On the other hand, Harry thought, he had been acting a bit strange lately, as if he didn't have enough time to make unpleasant remarks during Potions or to play nasty tricks on the Gryffindors. And his interest in them had vanished since Liliana Karkaroff had arrived at Hogwarts.

But then again, Harry was surprised to acknowledge his feelings towards Malfoy becoming a Death Eater were ambivalent. He found himself feeling pity for Draco; he thought he was too young to carry that burden. He wasn't even of age. On the other hand, the Slytherin was his archrival, so Harry knew he should not feel any kind pity for him.

Harry was starting to be slightly annoyed by the cold near the window, so he decided to go to take his shower while the other boys were still asleep. He crawled inside the first shower and let the hot water warm his skin. At least now he knew what he was dealing with. But why was Karkaroff helping Draco Malfoy, knowing he was a Death Eater? She wasn't one; Harry hadn't spotted any dark sign on her right arm, and she had actually landed Bellatrix in prison. But Draco had been kind to her, as kind as a Malfoy could be. And she did not seem to care that the Malfoys were all dark wizards. Then it hit him. He remembered hearing Draco say that Lucius and Igor Karkaroff had been friends. Harry turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. And Karkaroff had also been a dark wizard and a Death Eater.

Draco had probably known Liliana for years.

Harry got dressed quickly. Before going to breakfast that morning he had to find out what potions the two Slytherins were brewing in that basement.

When he entered the Common Room, Harry was surprised to find Ginny there. She was doing homework. Her long, red hair was carefully styled in a chignon, and her eyebrows were knitted together in concentration.

"Hi," he said.

She jumped a bit. "Oh, hi, Harry," she said. "You startled me."

"What are you doing here?"

"Potions of course. I think Snape is trying to kill us all this year. By exhausting us …"

"Fifth year was hard for me, too," Harry replied with a smile and sat on the couch next to her.

He shot a look at her book and remembered he had an Occlumency lesson with Snape that night. i_What is Dumbledore thinking?/i_ he asked himself warily. Snape would get the chance to see inside his mind, unhindered, again. He would probably find out that Harry knew things about Malfoy and Karkaroff. Who knows what he'd be able to do to him to keep him quiet.

"I think you were right about Karkaroff and Malfoy planning something."

"Really?" Ginny's brown eyes were on him, studying him intently. "What did you find out?"

"They keep meeting in different places around the school. I'm going to check their Potions lab now. Would you like to come with me?"

Harry thought she'd be delighted, as Ginny always complained about them not involving her into their little adventures.

Ginny shivered when she heard him. She suddenly remembered Malfoy's icy eyes boring into hers the night he had caught her sneaking in the Dungeons, and his cold, menacing words. She'd found herself thinking about him since that night, mostly during tiresome classes or before going to sleep. She hated it.

"I'd rather not go there again so soon," she answered softly.

"Come on, Ginny! Don't tell me Malfoy's threats scared you!"

"That's not the problem, Harry,"she said with a snort.

"Then what is it?"

"I'd rather not discuss it with you right now. I have to finish my homework."

Harry nodded and stood up.

"I'll leave you to that then," he said and stepped out through the portrait hole.

Once outside, he took the stairs down towards the Entrance Hall. He did not know the exact location of the deserted classroom in the Dungeons, but he knew, from what Ginny had told him, that he had to get past Snape's office to get there. Thus, he had to be extra careful about getting there unspotted by both the Slytherin students _and_ Snape.

Harry threw the Invisibility cloak on more as a precaution, because at that hour the hallways and classes were deserted. He knew that, at five o'clock in the morning, even Filch would be sleeping.

He took the stairs to the Dungeons, passed Snape's office carefully, and started to check the classrooms next to his office. He finally found it (it was the third classroom on the right from Snape's office) and stepped in, being welcomed by the pleasant warmth emanating from the potions in there.

"_Lumos_," Harry whispered and started to check the substances in the cauldrons.

Fifteen minutes later he had to declare himself utterly disappointed. He had found nothing incriminating. He knew all the potions; he had brewed them between his first and third years of study with Snape. He realized that Liliana was probably trying to catch up with them, and Malfoy was giving her a helping hand. He also understood that she had probably taken Snape, Malfoy, and Zabini here on Sunday to show them her achievements in Potionsand win herself the book Snape had promised to her.

Somehow, Harry also felt a bit relieved because he had not found anything incriminating. But before he could analyze why, he heard Liliana Karkaroff's voicebehind him saying, "Have you come to see my little laboratory?" Harry spun towards her, not being able to understand how come she could see him.

She was in the doorway, dressed in school robes and looking directly at him, a disdainful smile curling her lips.

"Nice and cozy, isn't it?" she continued, her voice filled with sarcasm. "Found anything to your liking?"

"How come…" Harry started to say, but Liliana cut him off.

"Your feet are showing, and you are holding a lit wand" she said.

"Oh." _Oh_. Harry decided to take his cloak off, but in two long strides, Karkaroff was near him and had slid under the cloak.

"Why in Merlin's name would you wear an invisibility cloak if you don't wear it properly? Do you want it confiscated, Potter?"

Harry felt his cheeks warm up. She was incredibly close to him under the silky material of the cloak. Her smile had changed. It was _warm,_ and Harry stood there, gazing at her, nonplussed.

"It's nice being invisible," she said and took another small step towards him, as much as the already small space between them allowed her. For one crazy moment, Harry thought she would kiss , she brushed Harry's hair off his forehead and stared at his scar with fascination. She did not touch it, though she seemed very tempted to do just that.

Harry didn't dare move. When people met him for the first time they sometimes tried to see his scar closer or touch it, as if it was something of a good luck talisman. In the beginning, it had annoyed Harry, but then he'd gotten used to it.

But this was different. Harry didn't exactly know why it was different, but it just felt different.

He had finally caught Liliana's eye. And for once, he thought he had come to like his scar.

Suddenly, her expression hardened, and she took a step back.

"Sorry about that." She let the Invisibility cloak slip off her, and Harry did the same and pocketed it. "Does it hurt sometimes?"

"Yes," he answered. "It hurts whenever Voldemort is around whenever I have a nightmare involving him, and whenever he got into my head on purpose. But I am sure that you already know that."

Liliana observed him with interest.

"What makes you say that?" she enquired.

"Surely, your father and your father's friends have briefed you about me," Harry drawled.

She looked a bit taken aback for a moment, before saying, "Yes, they have. But you told me, a few days ago, that I should not listen to stories recounted by others. I wanted to hear it from you."

"Oh." It was Harry's turn to take a nervous step back. "Well, in that case…"

"Whatever the case may be, Mr. Potter, you will still have to explain to _me_ what are you doing here at five o'clock in the morning," Snape's voice came, snapping from the doorway.

Harry looked at Snape in total resignation. He knew he had a lot of explaining to do and points would be taken from Gryffindor in the best-case scenario. In the worst, Snape was going to strangle him.

"Potter is helping me with my project, Professor," he heard Liliana saying, before he could react. He turned to look at her, but her face was blank.

"Is he really?" Snape entered the classroom, and they could see he was dressed in his dark robes; his unpleasant sneer was in place. "I don't remember authorizing any help for you, Miss Karkaroff. You are bound to carry out the project by yourself. Five points from Slytherin and ten from Gryffindor. Now get out of here. Both of you!"

Liliana stepped to one of the cauldrons and let some ingredient she had brought with her drop in before leaving the classroom with Harry.

"That was close," he said softly. "I thought he was going to rip us to pieces."

Turning around, he noticed that Karkaroff was not sharing his relief.

"Listen to me, Potter, she said swiftly, when she met his gaze, "this was the first and the last time I ever helped you. Remember that! Now I'll have to make up for the points Slytherin has lost." With that, she turned on her heel and took the corridor going to the Slytherin common room.

* * *

"So," Ginny asked on their way to class, "did you find out what they are brewing?"

"Nothing dangerous. Karkaroff is trying to catch up with us in Potions. That's all."

"What do you mean _catch up,_" asked Hermione, on Harry's right, warily.

"She has brewed most of the potions we had to brew for our OWLs"

"What?"

"She's mental, that girl! What does she want? Does she want to be Head Girl, next year?" Ron said.

Hermione gave him a nasty look.

"You'd say anything to annoy me, wouldn't you?"

Ron scowled.

"Yeah," Ginny said angrily. "Picture this: Mr. and future Mrs. Malfoy, Head Boy and Head Girl. Lucius Malfoy would be thrilled. There haven't been a Head Boy and a Head Girl from the same house in the last fifty years."

"Actually," Harry said, trying to ignore the nasty feeling that was crawling inside his chest at such a perspective of the future, "Lucius Malfoy _would_ be thrilled, because I bet he and Igor Karkaroff were, indeed, good friends. Malfoy said as much when we were in fourth year. Don't you remember, Ron?"

"Look, it's not like I would love to be sharing my common room with Malfoy," Hermione said smugly, before Ron could answer, "but there is no way that a newcomer will steal my chance of being Head Girl next year! I haven't worked hard for the last six years for that to happen, now, have I?"

"Don't be silly, Hermione," Ron said sympathetically. "She will not take your place! No one can do that. You're the brightest witch of our generation!"

Hermione gave him a warm smile, forgetting instantly about what he had said before.

"Still," they heard Ginny saying, "she seems very ambitious. You might want to be vigilant. OK, guys, I'm going to Charms. Have fun in Potions!"

She gave them a mischievous smile and turned around the corner.

"I must say, Potions isn't as bad with Snape gone and all," Ron said.

"Yes, especially since you and Harry are taking instructions from that bloody book you found!" Hermione said accusatorily. She was still mad at them for using the Prince's book, which was really helping them to do better than her in Potions.

"Come on, Hermione! You know you're exaggerating. That book's really handy!" Ron pleaded.

"You'll end up being completely unprepared for your exams. The Prince will not be there to help you," she argued.

They entered the Potions classroom and seated themselves in their usual places. Slughorn was late. Harry noticed that the Slytherins were all in there already: Draco talking to Zabini, Crabbe and Goyle sitting in the last row and looking half-asleep, and Pansy Parkinson speaking to her group of arrogant girlfriends.

Liliana Karkaroff stood by herself at a desk glancing from time to time at the group of Slytherin girls. For a moment, Harry thought he saw a hurt expression flash across her face before she opened a book and started to read. It was a third year Potions book.

"You'd be interested to know," he heard Hermione's voice, "that I found no evidence whatsoever that Igor Karkaroff would be indeed related to Salazar Slytherin."

"So, Malfoy was talking crap as always, wasn't he?" Harry whispered back to her, as Slughorn entered the classroom.

"Probably," Hermione said in a low voice.

"Come on, children, turn quickly to page twenty-four. We don't want to waste anymore precious time," Slughorn said as if it was the students' fault that a quarter of the time they were supposed to spend together was already gone.

Sighing, Harry opened his book at the page indicated by the teacher. It was a memory draught. They had made one the previous year with Snape, but this one seemed much more complicated. He sneaked a glance at Liliana and saw her frowning while reading the textbook.

Slughorn quickly explained what they had to do, and Harry took notes as well as he could. But ten minutes later, he didn't understand any more about it than before. Everyone except Hermione seemed to agree with him from the puzzled expressions on their faces. Thank God he had the Prince's book.

"OK, pair with somebody of your own choice and start brewing," he heard Slughorn saying. He did not move, because he wanted to pair with Ron and Hermione as usual. He saw Draco Malfoy moving towards Liliana, when Slughorn intervened again: "Not you, Mr. Malfoy. You'll pair with… Ms. Granger today. I believe that Ms. Karkaroff must use her own knowledge in my class and not to rely a little too much on her fellow Slytherins. Mr. Potter, will you please come over here and team up with Ms. Karkaroff?"

_Slughorn definitely doesn't like her too much_,i Harry thought, while he reluctantly took his stuff and placed it besides Liliana's cauldron. He saw Malfoy giving her an apologetic look. Harry chuckled when he noticed the horror imprinted in Draco's haughty features as he approached Hermione to start working on the potion.

Liliana didn't look in Harry's direction. Her eyes were on the textbook. A few minutes later, she started to arrange the necessary ingredients on the desk next to her cauldron, but Harry soon realized that she didn't exactly know how to make the potion.

He started to read the Prince's book and was relieved to see that the annotations the Prince had made on the pages, next to the memory draught, were making the whole brewing process much easier.

"OK," he said, igniting the fire under Liliana's cauldron. "We must boil some water. When it reaches one hundred and fifty degrees, we must add yellow rose seeds."

She gave him an appraising look. "Look, Potter, the last time you and Potions were included in the same phrase, I lost five points from my House."

"I know. That is why I am going to help you get them back."

"Why in the world would you willingly do that? We are in two different houses and…"

"Just trust me," he said, measuring the necessary amount of water and pouring it into the cauldron.

"_Trust you_?" she mocked, but her expression changed when she understood Potter was serious about it.

They waited in silence until the water boiled to one hundred and fifty degrees and then Liliana carefully added the rose seeds. Harry looked at his wristwatch. "In two minutes' time it should turn blue," he said.

It worked. The potion was a marine blue color.

"Now," he said as he continued looking in his book, "stir it clockwise while I add the two dragon claws."

He looked at her expectantly because Liliana was not taking any action.

"All right then," he said, "I'll do it."

"No, I'll do it!" she said and started to stir the potion violently.

"No, you're not doing it right! It should be clockwise!" Harry said quickly, and before he knew what he was doing, he placed his hand on Liliana's to guide her. At once, he felt her stiffing under his touch.

Harry gulped uneasily and stole a look at her. He did not release the hold on her hand, though.

Liliana resumed her moves after a moment's pause. This time, she was stirring adequately, and Harry withdrew his hand, flustered.

They didn't say a word while he added the dragon claws.

After two minutes, Harry cleared his throat and said almost inaudibly: "OK, that's it. Red is the right color. Moving on, we need to add the Amarillo bile and cedar bark and let it boil until it reaches two hundred degrees."

"Wait, there's something wrong," she pointed out, leaning over Prince's book on Potter's side, to see the annotations.

"What?" Harry asked. slightly dizzy because of their forced proximity.

"Ah, I told you!" she said. "We need to pause before we add the cedar bark. We need to let it boil for three minutes and then proceed with the cedar bark."

Harry bent over the book and saw that she was right.

"How did you know?" he asked bemused.

"I don't know… Just a hunch, I guess".

"You have hunches about potions?" he asked, smiling.

"No, not particularly about potions. But sometimes you just know that you need to do things in a certain way… You just know, and you have to follow your instinct. You know what I mean?"

Harry meditated for a moment, but he did not remember having any hunches related to Potions. He had always had visions and strange feelings related to other things and experiences, but this was not something he wanted to discuss with Karkaroff, of all people. Still, it was nice to have a civil conversation for once, so he continued.

"Yeah, maybe," he admitted, as he watched Liliana checking her watch and the temperature of the cauldron before adding the cedar bark.

"When it reaches three hundred degrees, we need to stir it at regular intervals counter clockwise… twenty-three times. Merlin knows that's going to be very boring," she said.

"I'll do that," Harry offered.

Liliana looked at him in disbelief. Harry Potter was really starting to annoy her. He was definitely i_not/i_ what she had expected him to be. By now, she had had enough time to study him. He seemed clever, powerful, and earnest, in the most annoying way. He was doing pretty well in all his classes, especially in DADA. And though Snape was trying to make his life as miserable as possible, Harry never retorted and was never rude to the professor. He made it very hard for her to continue to hate him.

"OK, you do it then," she murmured, turning her head to look away from him.

Harry proceeded to meticulously stir. A moment later, Slughorn stopped near their desk.

"Doing all the work, are we, Harry?" he asked sympathetically.

Before Harry could answer, he went to the next desk.

"Give me two more weeks, and we'll see about that, old man," Liliana said, her eyes dark with fury.

"Don't pay attention to him. You're doing great," Harry said softly. Their eyes met, and the dark shadows in Liliana's instantly disappeared. Harry felt it again, the flow of magic between them, surging back in full power. This time around though, he was sure she felt it too, because she looked at him in amazement, lips slightly parted and gaze fixed on Harry's eyes.

"OK. Now if your potion is marine blue again, we add the main ingredient, the raven eyes," they heard Slughorn saying.

Harry broke eye contact with Liliana. She had a strange air — utterly confused. He added the ingredient, and the potion changed to purple.

"Great job Harry, my boy!" Slughorn praised him when he returned to his desk. "Outstanding for you two. Five points to Gryffindor and five to Slytherin. OK, class dismissed."

Harry glanced at Liliana.

"There you are," he said, "You got back your five points. I told you to trust me."

"Now, that would be a huge mistake," Malfoy argued, smirk in place. "Class is over, Potter. Just leave, will you?"

Apparently, he and Hermione had managed to get an "O" themselves, and Malfoy was in a good mood. He helped Liliana with her books and bottled the potion.

"You take that, Potter. You might need it," he said, handing the bottle to Harry.

Liliana slung her bag over her shoulder and she and Malfoy went away without a word.

Harry watched them leave, still disconcerted by Liliana's attitude.

"What was that all about?" Hermione asked. There was a small, content smile curling up her lips.

"Nothing" he replied, absentmindedly.

Hermione gave him a pointed look. "All right, then. Let's head to Transfiguration. It's late"

They left the classroom together.

* * *

The day passed without further incidents, and at eight o'clock sharp, Harry was in front of Snape's office. As he lifted his hand to knock on the door, it swung open and Snape stood in the doorway, a gloomy expression on his pale face.

"Potter," he said coldly, "you're late."

"But, Sir, I believe it is exactly eight o'…"

"Shut up already and step in," Snape drawled.

Harry was surprised to see that Liliana was already there. She looked troubled, and for a split second, he felt sorry for her. _Come to your senses, Harry. Who knows what she and Snape were discussing just before you arrived, _a little voice inside his head whispered to him. She gave him a sideways look as he seated himself near her.

Snape slammed the door shut and moved in their direction until he was facing them both, wand in hand and a dark look in his shaded eyes.

"Let's see," he said in a silky, low voice. "I'll test each of you, so I know where to start."

Liliana stared at him, an unsettling feeling rushing through her veins. Harry, on the other hand, was prepared for two hours of excruciating pain in Snape's company. Snape's very presence was utterly unpleasant to Harry, so Occlumency was just an extra ingredient that changed these lessons into sheer torture.

"Mr. Potter. Let's see how much you have improved since last year." As he stood up and prepared for the worst, Harry noticed Snape sneer.

He had not improved at all, Harry thought, as Snape took his time to wander unhindered through his childhood memories again.

"I see no difference," Snape said, dispassionately. There was no satisfaction in his voice, though, Harry noted. He did not have time to dwell on these reflections, because with a swift move, Liliana got up from her chair and advanced towards Snape.

Snape looked at her for a moment, as if he was thinking what memory to search for, and then he snapped, "_Legilimens_!"

Apparently, his attempt was useless. He could not read Liliana's mind. She wasn't using a wand to protect herself. She just stared emotionlessly into Snape's cold eyes. After a few moments, he blinked and put some distance between them.

"Basics are fine," he said and narrowed his eyes. "Now, can you see what I'm thinking right now?"

She drew her wand and pointed it at him.

"_Legilimens!_" She said the incantation distinctively and calmly. Snape didn't raise his wand.

"I can see you're thinking about me, but I cannot really discern the images."

Snape smirked. "I wasn't thinking about you, actually," he said. "We seem to have a lot of work on this side. You need to not only protect yourself but to become a Legilimens. You can practice that with Potter."

"Excuse me, Sir," Harry said, in disbelief. "I'd rather not let anybody else except you do that."

"Now, Potter, you don't really have a choice, if you don't improve, do you understand?"

"You cannot do this!" Harry said. "It's my life, and these are my memories. I don't want anyone else to know."

"That's enough, Potter," Snape barked, surprised by Harry's outburst. He thought Harry would be pleased to get rid of him wandering freely through his head, but instead, the boy was protesting again, driving him mad. Again. God, he hated Potter. _What an idiot._

"Dumbledore has asked me to do this. I promised I would take you in again, though Merlin knows you didn't deserve it. I will not stand for your whining all over again, Potter."

Harry took a moment to review his situation. On one hand, he knew how much he needed to become an Occlumens_._ But, on the other side, if he were skilled in Legilimency, he could find out very easily what Liliana Karkaroff was planning. _Actually, if we would learn together, I could see into her mind sooner or later…_

_But she's already better than you_, that little voice in his mind intervened again. _She'll know all about you before you get to know what her favorite color is…_

Then, it happened. He looked at Karkaroff, who was half hidden by the shadows in Snape's dungeons and saw her smiling disdainfully, as if she knew what he was thinking. She thought he was a coward, and Harry wasn't one. He had not turned down a challenge in his life.

"Very well, then," he said.

Snape looked at him in disbelief, but preferred to ignore him and address to Liliana instead.

"Now, Miss Karkaroff," he drawled, "I will try to _Legilimens_ you again, and you'll try to resist. This might be a little different from what Igor taught you. _Legilimens_!"

The next thing Harry saw was Liliana sunk to her knees.

She did not lose the grip on her wand. A moment later, she yelled _Protego,_ and the connection broke. Harry wondered what Snape had seen because he was looking very taken aback.

"Now, this is the kind of thing that … the Death Eaters will go for. I am going to teach you how to fight this kind of mental assault."

Liliana got to her feet.

"Also," Snape continued softly, ignoring Harry, "If you get to this point with a skilled Legilimens, you'll most certainly be unarmed. This is why during the next session we will not use wands."

He paused and looked at Harry. "Potter, it's nearly nine o'clock. I believe that the Headmaster is expecting you. Miss Karkaroff, get back to your common room."

They left Snape's dungeon quietly and were about to part ways when Harry suddenly asked Liliana: "What did he do to you when he went through your head for the second time? You seemed to be in a lot of pain."

She shot him a sideways glance before she answered. To her surprise, Harry looked genuinely interested in her situation.

"Why do you care anyway, Potter?"

"Is there no way to have a normal conversation with you? What are you afraid of?"

"Afraid?" she snapped. "I'd be careful about what I was saying, if I were you!"

"If you're not afraid of me, why can't we just sit down and talk?"

"I believe the Headmaster is expecting you, Potter," she smirked, imitating Snape.

"I meant _after_ my appointment."

"That would be after curfew!"

"Precisely," Harry said, grinning. "Come on, Karkaroff, what's happened to the Slytherin natural inclination for breaking the rules?"

"Give me one good reason why I would hang around with you, Potter! Especially after curfew!"

"Don't be so obtuse, Karkaroff", Harry said. "It'll be fun! I can show you some secret passages and rooms. We can talk…"

"I'd rather have something to eat. I've missed dinner tonight"

"That can be arranged," Harry said, sly smile in place.

"How come?"

"Meet me in the Entrance Hall at ten, and you'll see!"

She eyed him suspiciously.

"Do you want to land me in another detention?"

"No. Look, I think there's a better solution. I'll take my Invisibility cloak and come for you. Be in front of the entrance to your common room at ten."

Harry didn't know exactly why he had asked Karkaroff to meet him, but he was glad she didn't seem to find another reason to say no.

"Fine, but it'll be eleven o'clock," she snapped and left.

Harry watched her walking towards the marble staircase leading to the Dungeons until the dark shadows of the castle hid her from view. Then he climbed the staircase leading to Dumbledore's office.

"_Apple pie,_" he said, when he reached the gargoyle, and he ascended to the headmaster's office.

Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, writing a letter. He seemed lost in thoughts when Harry knocked softly at the door and let himself in.

"Harry," he acknowledged with a smile. "Come in and have a sit. I have something to finish, but I'll be with you in a minute."

Harry took the time to look around while the headmaster finished his letter. He sneaked a glance at Dumbledore's pensive. During their previous sessions, Dumbledore had shown Harry pieces of Voldemort's life — memories he had gathered a long time ago from people who had known Tom Riddle and his family. The puzzle was starting to fall into place. Harry was wondering what Dumbledore would show him this time. The headmaster put the letter aside and rose from his chair. He took a step towards the window, but then he turned around, as if he wasn't really sure about something. He leaned against his desk and looked at Harry. His expression was relaxed, and the ghost of a smile flickered in his eyes.

"How are you, Harry?" he asked.

"Er … fine, Professor," Harry answered, nervously biting his lip under the headmaster's scrutinizing look.

"Good," said Dumbledore. "I have some good news for you."

Harry remained silent, staring at the old wizard.

"Well, we might have been wrong about the interpretation of the _Prophecy._" Dumbledore said, watching Potter's reaction closely. "Though Voldemort is not aware of that yet."

"What do you mean, Sir?" Harry asked warily. Dumbledore's tranquil attitude was unsettling.

"It means that you might not be the Chosen One after all," Dumbledore said quietly. "Actually, there might not be a Chosen One."

Harry could not suppress a laugh.

"But, Professor, after all the attention I received from the press this summer … they will be very disappointed!"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with amusement.

"It'll be very difficult for Rita Skeeter to accept the truth," he said. "But, by the time she finds out the whole truth, the war will be over."

"Look, Professor, I really don't care about the _Prophecy_," Harry said. "Life is a matter of choice. I don't believe in prophesies anyway. I believe in myself. And I know that Voldemort has to pay for all the wrong he has done. I know that sooner or later we shall have a confrontation, and he will die by my hand. And it's because I want that to happen."

Dumbledore took in Harry's resolute expression. The warm flicker in his eyes disappeared slowly and was replaced by a more sober shadow.

"Listen to me, Harry," he said, "I know the damage Voldemort did to you."

He paused and looked at Harry who nodded expectantly.

"Recent events have brought to light facts that make me believe that I can sort things out without involving students …"

He stared at Harry, whose eyes had darkened dangerously.

"You mean without involving _me_," the boy said coldly.

"Harry, there's no need to expose you to the danger, as long as Voldemort can be tackled by the Order."

"The Order?" Harry repeated incredulously. "I may not be ready to face Voldemort, but the Order cannot handle Voldemort on its own either. Not now, at least. Look what happened to … to … Sirius."

"Harry, please listen to me." Dumbledore had expected this, but he was still put off by Harry's violent reaction.

"Sirius's death was a terrible and shocking event, but he did what he did for you_ and because he believed in the Order_. And I know he would agree with me now. Sirius would never let you go against Voldemort, if he knew that there was another way."

Those words silenced Harry for a moment, and then he looked back to Dumbledore.

"Sir, if I'm not going to fight Voldemort, then who will?"

"I'll do it, of course. The Order. The Ministry," Dumbledore said. "It's our job to handle him, not yours."

"But, Sir, he's after _me._ You know it. And he will not stop until I am dead."

"Voldemort will soon be dead, Harry," Dumbledore said. "You won't have to worry about him anymore. We have found a way to defeat him."

Harry tried to process this strange information Dumbledore was telling him all of the sudden. He would have loved to have heard these words when he was a first year at Hogwarts. But now, after having confronted Voldemort so many times and knowing his full strength, he was not as easy to persuade.

"This is unexpected," he said quietly. "Tell me, Sir, is Liliana Karkaroff a member of the Order?"

Dumbledore blinked. "Of course not. She's a student. She cannot be in the Order. Whatever gave you that idea?"

"A lot of things have been going on since she arrived at Hogwarts," he said.

"What do you mean, Harry?"

But Harry chose not to say anything about the Potions brewing, Malfoy being a Death Eater, or Snape's strange behavior. He was deeply disconcerted by the headmaster's attitude, and he didn't know what to believe anymore.

"But she's not a Death Eater either," he remarked in a casual manner.

"I would never tolerate a Death Eater in my school, Harry," Dumbledore said calmly.

Harry almost chuckled, thinking of Draco.

"So, Professor, what do you want me to do?"

"Nothing, Harry. I want you to continue your classes and become a great wizard one day. And I know you will. What I really wanted was to tell you that you are safe now. Soon your connection with Voldemort will be broken. Things will go back to normal."

"Very well, Sir. May I go now? I have homework to prepare for tomorrow."

"Go on, Harry," the headmaster said, smiling again. "Good night."

"Good night, Professor."

Harry exited the room quickly, his head throbbing in pain. The rotating staircase stopped, and Harry stepped in the hallway. He seated himself on the first chair he found and put on his Invisibility cloak. He needed a quiet moment more than anything else.

_What in God's name is going on?_he asked himself. If he didn't know Dumbledore well, he would have thought somebody had used Polyjuice Potion to take his place. Something had occurred when Liliana Karkaroff arrived at Hogwarts. What had happened at Durmstrang? What other recent events could be Dumbledore talking about?

Fortunately, he would meet the person who probably had all the answers later tonight.

Harry glanced at his watch and saw that he had spent almost an hour in the headmaster's office. He was about to return to his common room until eleven p.m. when his … whatever it was that he and Liliana Karkaroff would call their arrangement for tonight was scheduled, when he saw the devil himself (or rather herself) coming toward Dumbledore's office. She was accompanied by Snape, who looked like a giant black bat hovering at her side.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 – The Prophecies**

Severus Snape folded his arms as he leaned against the wall in Dumbledore's office. He was not making any effort to conceal his discontent. On his right, Liliana Karkaroff had turned her back on the Headmaster and was looking sulkily through the window. Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, watching them intently.

"Are you absolutely sure about this, Headmaster?" the girl finally asked.

"Positive," Dumbledore answered, his voice even. "He's gaining power as we speak. I have news that their operatives have doubled in the last four months. The Ministry has been infiltrated; he's using the _Imperius _again. It's impossible to distinguish the villains from the wizards under the curse. We really need to start our offensive; otherwise it will be too late."

"But she's not ready," Severus cut in.

"I can do the first tasks to give her more time," Dumbledore countered gently.

Liliana paced nervously through the office.

"How much time?" she asked.

"It depends on how quickly I advance in my quest."

"What exactly are we looking for?"

"Horcruxes," Snape said softly.

Liliana gaped, surprised.

"Did he … I can't believe it! But then again," she added thoughtfully, "his fear of dying overwhelms him."

She snapped out of her reverie when she met Dumbledore's hard eyes.

"How many?"

"I believe there are seven," Dumbledore replied. "Harry destroyed one of them. His Hogwarts journal. I recently found out the whereabouts of another one. I am going after it tomorrow night. A third one is Nagini. The fourth is Harry Potter. We need to find the other three and destroy them. Then we can try to confront Tom."

"I think I should accompany you on the next mission," she said.

"No. It's too dangerous for you. You need to stay hidden until the moment to strike has arrived. In the meantime, Severus, you need to prepare her. Make as much progress as you can in Potions until Christmas. And prepare a potion kit for us with everything we need. How was _Occlumency_ today?"

"Fine," she said curtly and looked again through the window. Dumbledore tried to make eye contact with Snape, but the Potion master's eyes were averted.

"Miss Karkaroff, I know this is difficult for you," Dumbledore said. "But this nightmare will end soon enough with a victory for us, I hope. And then your life will change for good. No more hiding, no more fear, no more loathing. You will be able to lead a normal life."

But Liliana did not look at Dumbledore.

"Nothing will erase what happened, Professor," she said flatly. "There's no going back. But I have come to live with it. I will not fail, not now, when I actually have a real chance to end his life once and for all."

She turned around to face the two professors in front of her.

"Hopefully, Potter will not screw everything up again. He has a special talent…"

"There is something you need to know about Harry, Liliana. He will be dead by the time you confront Voldemort," Dumbledore said in a voice filled with sorrow. "Therefore, he will not be able to interfere with our plans anymore."

She looked at them in disbelief. "You're not going to …" Her voice quivered when she saw the expressions they wore.

"It is the only way," Snape said softly. "He's a Horcrux himself. It happened the first time the Dark Lord performed the killing curse on him. If we want to kill Voldemort, we will have to kill Harry first."

"But this would make us … murderers. Harry Potter is innocent. He has no idea …" Her voice trailed. Her insides quivered with uneasiness, and for a moment she thought she was going to be sick.

"We have to do it to save everyone from the Era of Dark that is coming. We will save hundreds, maybe thousands, of innocent lives. This is not easy for us either. I swore to protect Harry Potter. And Albus has always looked over Harry. But the fact is, Voldemort doesn't leave us any choice. The night he returned, Harry Potter's fate was decided," Snape said softly.

"How about that _Prophecy_ people have been talking about?" she asked, her mind frantically looking for another solution.

Dumbledore's piercing blue eyes settled on her.

"All this time," the headmaster said, and again his voice was filled with regret, "I hoped that Voldemort would not return so soon. I hoped Harry would have more time to grow up, to learn, to live ... The prophecy said that one must die at the hand of the other. We all know that Harry will not survive a duel with Voldemort. And the Horcrux in Harry must be destroyed before any of us tries to duel Tom; otherwise we don't stand a chance. "

Liliana was staring at the floor, her eyes unfocused.

"But what if the _Prophecy_ is right? What if Voldemort must really die at Harry's hand? What if you kill Harry and then Voldemort remains invincible? All your efforts will be useless!"

"Then it seems that your entire preparation was useless as well, Miss Karkaroff."

Liliana's eyes moved so quickly from the floor to his face that Dumbledore almost felt the urge to laugh. If not her recklessness, her ego will surely be her doom, he mused.

"I am ready to take that risk," she muttered dangerously.

"So am I, Miss Karkaroff. I will tell you one more thing, so that the _Prophecy_ will not torment you so much. There are more than four thousand prophecies in the Department of Mysteries that involve the heirs of Slytherins. At least half of them refer to Tom Riddle, also known as the Dark Lord."

Dumbledore watched with satisfaction as Liliana gaped at him. He continued casually, "You see, just because Tom doesn't know about these prophecies doesn't mean that they do not exist; on the other hand, the fact that they exist doesn't mean they are true. Most of them are simply rubbish."

"But what do they say?" Liliana asked, barely hiding her raging curiosity. The headmaster fought back another grin.

"Do you think that I memorized the content of over two thousand prophecies?"

Liliana let out a frustrated sigh.

"Still, you must remember some of them," she pleaded.

"If I'd ever heard them. But as you may know, Liliana, only the person for whom the prophecy was made can retrieve it from the Department of Mysteries."

"Then how do you know they are rubbish?"

"I happened to be present when some of them were made. It was Ms. Trelawny's case. It was quite fashionable to make prophecies about the Dark Lord during his first rise to power. Severus here can tell you. The difference in the Trelawny case is that Tom decided to believe that prophecy and gradually chose to make it true. He created his own rival. I also wanted to believe Ms. Trelawny because those were desperate times, and we needed a hero. It took me years to realize that I was fooling myself and not taking responsibility. I wanted to believe that Harry was special and that he was more powerful than Voldemort, but after observing him over the past six years and especially after what happened last year, when Tom took control of the boy and almost killed him, I cannot pretend that there is a Chosen One anymore. It would be ridiculous. That is why Harry must enjoy what he has while he has it."

Liliana listened to Dumbledore's words, staring at the floor. When she finally brought her eyes upon Snape and Dumbledore, her expression was resolute.

"Very well, then, if it's the only way. All I want is to see Voldemort dead. I will stop at nothing."

"Believe me when I say that it's the only way, Miss Karkaroff. The other option would be to let Voldemort kill the boy. And that would only expose him to unbearable pain. Voldemort will spare no effort to hurt him as badly as possible. And Harry's life has been pretty difficult as it is," Dumbledore said.

Liliana nodded. "All right. Harry Potter is your problem, not mine. Please let me know when you return with the other Horcrux."

Snape opened his mouth to say something, but Dumbledore made a sign to silence him.

"Good night, Miss Karkaroff," the headmaster said, watching her open the door.

"Good night, Professors," she muttered and exited the office.

Dumbledore returned his gaze to Snape.

"So, what do you think?"

Snape's discontent was back again.

"I think this is madness! She's not ready to kill."

But Dumbledore seemed to see something else behind Snape's discontent and anger.

"That's not the real reason why you're upset, Severus," he said quietly.

_Dumbledore's ability to read between the lines is becoming more and more unnerving_, Snape thought.

"I saw the way you look at her."

"Don't pretend you know how I feel," he snapped furiously. "And don't pretend you don't see it in her. It's like a curse in their bloodline."

"I try not to look too much at her," Dumbledore admitted. "It is impossible not to be absorbed into this …" He trailed off, looking into the night. "Every piece falls well into the puzzle. But Karkaroff has always been so protective of her … so protective that we didn't even know who she was. I saw this girl before, you know, Severus. I saw her at a Quidditch game, the only time I was invited to Durmstrang. So powerful. So aggressive. I asked Karkaroff about her. He told me she was his daughter. He never told the truth."

"We were very close _back then_." Snape said. "However, he never told me any of his secrets. From his point of view, we were as dangerous as Voldemort. He would have never consented to her coming here, but he knew that at least at Hogwarts, she would be safe." And he added after a few seconds: "And I'll make sure she is safe."

Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling again, annoying Snape: "You don't really trust me on this one, Severus, do you?"

"I _do_ trust you. But I just need to be sure she will be safe."

"She cannot be completely safe, Severus," Dumbledore said. "We'll all do everything in our power to keep her safe, but she will be the one who'll search Voldemort and confront him. No matter what we say, no matter what we do, she'll be out there looking for him."

As he was saying these words, Dumbledore could swear he'd seen a flicker of pure loathing Snape's eyes.

"Maybe. But when she does that, she will be prepared. I'll make sure of that!" he spat resentfully and stormed out of the room.

Dumbledore sighed, distressed, though he had expected this reaction from Snape. He was right of course, to want to look after Liliana. But the way he was hovering over her made Dumbledore uneasy about his ideas on how to involve the girl in his plan against Voldemort. He had just discovered that she had a conscience. That was a tough thing to deal with, especially when she was the one who would eventually have to kill Harry Potter. Dumbledore could not, and neither could Snape. They had both sworn to protect Harry.

* * *

Liliana made her way quickly towards the Dungeons to change her uncomfortable student robes before she met Harry. She sneaked carefully through the Slytherin common room and entered her own dormitory. _Having my own room has its advantages,_ she thought while she was changing into warmer and more comfortable clothing.

By eleven o'clock, she had left Slytherin and was waiting impatiently for Potter to arrive. Suddenly, a material close to the consistency of water fell around her.

"Potter, you scared me!" she said loudly, turning to face him and finding herself looking directly into even more startling green eyes.

"SShh," he ordered softly. "Let's get out of here."

She followed him, trying to fall into pace with him. Potter opened an old parchment and looked at it attentively. Liliana saw that he had brought his Firebolt with him, and he had difficulties holding the parchment, the wand, the cloak and the broom at the same time.

"What are you doing, Potter?" she hissed.

He muttered something incomprehensible.

"Give me that!" she said, taking the broom. "What are you doing with that old parchment? This is not a good moment for reading!"

"I am not reading!" he said with a snort. "I am trying to get us to the kitchens. So shut up and follow me!"

Harry was sure that the corridor leading to the kitchens was somehow parallel to the one going towards the Slytherin dungeon, but he had never taken that way before, afraid that he might bump into one of his nemesis, Snape or Malfoy.

_I was right_, he congratulated himself when they reached the kitchen door, a painting showing a gigantic, silver fruit bowl. He stretched out his finger and tickled the huge, green pear in the bowl and the painting frame opened, letting them in.

He took the Invisibility cloak off Liliana and himself and entered the enormous, warm room.

There weren't a lot of house-elves in the kitchens at that hour, and Harry could not see Dobby anywhere. By now, the house-elves had grown used to his presence. One of them approached them and asked them what he could offer them to eat.

"Anything. Everything," Harry said embarrassed.

Liliana was watching the house elves attentively, almost suspiciously.

"Potter, are you sure they won't tell the staff about us being here?"

Harry took a seat at one of the tables.

"Relax," he said, smiling. "I've been doing this since my fourth year at Hogwarts. We're safe in here."

"All right," Liliana said. After placing Harry's Firebolt on a chair, she seated herself opposite him.

A second later, three house-elves arrived with plates full of food.

"Hey guys, where's Dobby?" Harry asked.

"He's on business, Sir," one of the elves squealed.

"Who's Dobby?" she asked, as the house-elves left.

"A friend of mine. A free elf."

"You're joking, right?" Liliana laughed loudly, and then stopped because Harry looked very serious.

"Potter, in the wizarding world, wizards don't befriend house-elves. What is the matter with you?"

"No, Karkaroff, I am not joking," Harry said irritably. "Now let's change the subject, because otherwise we'll end up fighting again."

"Then, would you kindly tell me why you wanted this … meeting?"

"You said you were hungry. Eat your food."

"Stop ordering me around, Potter, and tell me what you want!" she snapped.

Harry put down his glass of pumpkin juice and stared at her.

"Fine. Here it goes: I wanted to talk to you ever since you arrived at Hogwarts. I guess this is why I followed you the night you arrived." _And ever since_, a traitorous voice whispered to him.

"Why can't you just admit it, Potter," Liliana said, a little smug smile curling up her lips. "You've been following me relentlessly since I arrived."

Harry kept a calm composure. He was prepared for Karkaroff's embarrassing questions and remarks, and he had his answers prepared.

"Don't flatter yourself," he said dryly. "This is not about you, Karkaroff. I know something's going on here, and it involves you and Malfoy."

"Potter," she cut him short, "you know by now that I am not brewing any dangerous potions, and I'm just trying to catch up with you in class. I know that Weasley girl told you that Malfoy and I are secretly plotting to destroy Hogwarts or something of that kind, but I assure you that it is not the case. It's just a girl's imagination!"

"Cut the crap, Karkaroff! I know that Malfoy is a Death Eater."

His words fell like a sharp blade between them. Liliana looked up at him, thunderstruck.

"I saw you with him in that classroom on the sixth floor," he added.

She gulped uneasily and looked away. A few moments passed in silence.

Harry finished his pumpkin juice. "So," he continued, his voice calm, but filled with triumph at the same time. "Will you now tell me what the hell is going on?"

But Liliana answered him with another question: "Have you told anyone about this?"

"Why, Karkaroff, are you weighing your chances of hexing me into oblivion, to prevent me from telling anyone else about it?"

"You sodding git!" she drawled, voice filled with contempt. "Why don't you mind your business?"

"This is my business! In case you forgot, I am the _Chosen One_. Therefore, it's my duty to dispose of the Death Eaters," he said ironically.

"At your own risk, Potter," she replied, standing up. "But touch one hair of Draco's, and you'll have to deal with me!"

She started for the door. "I believe this meeting is over."

"I can also dispose of the Death Eaters' accomplices," Harry said. "Think of what Dumbledore would say if he knew about you and Malfoy. Poor little Drakie, needs his girlfriend to protect him. Very touching that little scene of yours the other night!"

Only the thought that Potter would be dead in a few months anyway stopped Liliana from cursing him. _Stupid git!_ The prat had no idea what Draco was going through.

She turned around to look at him. Potter seemed to savor his victory. He smirked at her, and before she knew what she was doing, she took a step towards him and smacked him hard across the face.

Potter gaped at her in disbelief. Then he slowly reached and touched his now red cheek.

"I hope this answers all your questions!" she said smugly and started for the door for the second time that night. But before she could get out of his reach, Potter grabbed her wrist and, with a swift move, trapped her against the table.

Harry's temper had now risen to levels of unimaginable fury.

Nobody had ever managed to make him so angry, not Malfoy, not Snape, not even Voldemort. His eyes darkened dangerously.

"Now listen to me carefully," he said through gritted teeth. "I will find out what you're up to. And when I do, be certain that I will not hesitate to put you where all Death Eaters belong: Azkaban. That's where people like you and Snape and Malfoy belong. And you'll be unmasked sooner or later."

Liliana stared at him defiantly, though the feeling of having her wrists pinned against the edge of the table was very uncomfortable. But on the other hand, she found that her proximity with Potter wasn't altogether unpleasant.

"For your information, Potter," she said, trying to liberate herself from Harry's strong grip on her hands. "Malfoy and Snape _are_ the only people you should have befriended in this school."

Harry's smirk was back into place.

"Yeah, sure. And the giant squid is a very friendly inhabitant of the black lake. What else?"

He could see that Liliana's anger was reaching a boiling point, as the glasses on the table started to explode. He released her before ending up all covered up in pumpkin juice.

Unexpectedly, she sat down at the table, muttering "_Reparo_!" and waving her wand above the shattered glass. Harry said a cleansing spell and sat down. Their fury seemed to have vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

"You have quite a temper, Potter," she remarked, almost casually, starting on some apple pie.

"At the risk of inflating your ego further, Karkaroff, you have a special talent for pushing me to the limit."

"Let's hope next time it's for a better cause." she said, without thinking.

Harry was suddenly silent, and she glanced at him. He was watching her intently, a strange light in his eyes.

"Um," she said, trying to find something to say that would distract Potter from looking at her _like that_. "Why did you bring your broom?"

It was Harry's turn to avert his gaze. "Er … I thought you might want to take a tour outside," he said quickly. "Just thought you might enjoy … flying again. I bet you did that a lot when you were at Durmstrang …" he added as to justify his proposal.

"I'd love to," she cut him short.

"Let's go, then" he said.

They thanked the house elves and left the kitchens quietly under the Invisibility cloak. Once they were outside, Harry pocketed the cloak and swung his leg over his Firebolt. Liliana watched him skeptically.

"Come on!" Harry whispered to her.

"Thought you were going to let me take a tour," she said.

Harry eyed her incredulously.

"You want to fly _alone_?"

"Of course."

"Get a grip, Karkaroff. I'm not letting you fly my broom by yourself. Now, come on!"

"Potter! You don't think this a bloody date, do you?" she asked, her cheeks coloring slowly, but surely. "Why would I want to fly with _you,_ of all people?"

Harry did not have an answer to that.

"I just wanted to show you around," he said calmly.

"I can do that by myself, thank you."

"Better ask Malfoy, then" Harry blurted. "He's the one in charge accommodating you, isn't he?"

"Maybe I will!" she retorted.

"Fine! Have it your way then!" Harry said furiously and kicked off.

Liliana watched him disappear into the night. P_rat_, she thought again, still confused by her contradictory feelings. It had taken her an enormous amount of will not give in the temptation of flying with him. She made a mental note to never hang out with Potter again.

She stepped back into the castle. Filch's cat was in the Entrance Hall, but Liliana did not even try to hide. She quickly made her way back to the Slytherin common room.

* * *

A/N Again, Harry Potter belongs to Jk Rowling. I do not own anything and I don't want to own any of HP universe. Many thanks to Lisa for betaing.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter ****9 – The Match**

"I need to talk to you about something, Ron," Harry whispered to his best friend the next Tuesday while they were changing into their Quidditch robes for the match against the Slytherins.

Harry watched Ron frown. "This isn't a good time," he whispered back. "We'll talk after the game."

Harry sighed in frustration. The week had proved eventless, though there was something in the air, like tranquility before a tempest. Something was charging the atmosphere. Harry was sure that if someone lit a match the entire school would blow up. _Or maybe that's the way_ I_ feel _…

Ever since their heated argument about the whole flying idea, Liliana Karkaroff acted as if Harry had some kind of plague. She would not stand less than ten feet away from him, and she hung around with Malfoy at all times. Her behavior had a terrible effect on Pansy Parkinson who was wild with anger most of the time and was making supplementary efforts to catch Malfoy's attention.

On the other hand, Harry had noticed that the self-proclaimed "Slytherin Prince" was very absent-minded most of the time. When Liliana and Draco had paired in Slughorn's class to make a Sleepless Draught_, _disaster had struck. Their cauldron had literally exploded, injuring the two or three students around them, and Slughorn had given them both detentions.

Harry had also noticed that the two Slytherins had scarcely showed up for dinner all week long. This was quite disturbing, and Harry almost thought about using Polyjuice potion to get into the Slytherin headquarters again to find out what was going on. But the incident that had taken place at the beginning of the year — when Draco had found Harry spying on him, Blaise, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson in the Hogwarts Express — kept the Gryffindor from taking action again.

Never mind the Slytherins' strange behavior … Harry had his own issues to sort out. Though the pathetic excuse for a conversation he and Liliana had had the previous week was still bothering Harry, the fact that Dumbledore had literally told him that he needn't worry about Voldemort anymore was even more disturbing. And how could Harry even think about taking such an option, when Voldemort was still hunting him and would stop at nothing to hurt him and kill him? Moreover, how could Dumbledore consider such an idea when he knew about the connection between Voldemort and Harry?

Harry didn't know what to believe anymore. He was well aware that something big was going on, and he needed desperately to find out what it was. If others were planning to prevent Voldemort's rise to power, he needed to be a part of that. Harry hadn't lied to the headmaster when he had told him that he didn't care about the Prophecy. Not killing Voldemort after all the pain he had caused him, his family, and his friends was not an option for Harry anymore. He had thought about it all summer and had made the decision. And no matter what Dumbledore wanted – probably to shelter him from Voldemort – Harry was not going to obey the headmaster this time.

Times such as these called for drastic measures.

Harry had firstly played with the idea of cornering Malfoy and forcing him to spit out some truth for once. It was the most realistic option he had. Dumbledore seemed reluctant to talk to Harry again. Karkaroff would probably hex him if he approached her. As for Snape, he would be likely more willing to kiss a Blast-Ended Skrewt than share any of his thoughts with him.

But getting Malfoy alone proved to be an impossible task all week long. Every time Harry had seen Draco, he was either with his faithful companions – Crabbe and Goyle and mostly with Liliana — or with Snape. This detail had not escaped Harry, who was under the impression that Snape was for some reason spying on his favorite student. Harry had seen Snape watching Draco intently during their last DADA class and was wondering if Snape knew that young Malfoy had recently joined the Death Eaters.

Harry snapped out of his thoughts when Ron patted him on his arm impatiently.

"Time to go, Harry!"

He repressed a scowl and followed Ron to the entrance to the Quidditch pitch.

Harry heard Luna Lovegood announcing the two teams. Apparently, the Ravenclaw was the one commenting the game today. Madam Hooch was already sitting on her broom, hovering one meter or so above the ground, whistle in her right hand.

Harry glanced around the stands before kicking off when Luna called out his name. All teachers seemed to be present — probably because it had to be the most interesting match of the season.

As he circled the stadium, Harry heard Luna calling out the Slytherin players' names. A moment later, Malfoy gracefully swept past Harry on his Nimbus 2001 and then landed on the grass next to Madam Hooch. Harry followed him. The game was about to begin.

* * *

Liliana made her way to the Quidditch pitch at Draco Malfoy's side. She was wearing Slytherin Quidditch robes, but she wasn't carrying a broom. She shot Draco a furtive glance and noticed the boy was gripping his broom nervously.

"Relax, Draco!" she whispered to him.

"Easy for you to say. You're not playing in this match. At least my father is not here today to witness another defeat for my team!"

"This is not the attitude I would expect from a Malfoy," she replied.

"You have not seen Potter playing, Liliana. He is extremely good, and because of him, we've only won the cup one time in six years. And as you well know, I am very tired right now. But I'll do my best, I promise!"

"That's the spirit," she said, beaming at him.

After the Quidditch practice they had had the previous Tuesday, Draco had concluded that Liliana was suitable to take Goyle's place on the team as a Beater. They had decided that the match against the Gryffindors would be Goyle's last, and she would serve as a reserve until the next match. It was quite unusual for a team to have a reserve player at Hogwarts, mostly because of unhappy incidents over the years when the reserves had sabotaged the players to take their place on the team.

As Draco and the other Slytherin players took off to circle the stadium, Liliana watched them attentively. Draco was flying with such grace that it brought another smile to her face.

Then she looked around and saw that all stands were full of people encouraging their favorite team, the Gryffindors. Most of them were calling out Harry Potter's name, as he dived towards the referee. _I guess the Slytherins don't really have too many fans outside their own house_, she thought.

She put her omnioculars on and looked over to the teachers' stands, where Snape and Dumbledore seemed to be really entertaining themselves while encouraging different teams — Snape obviously rooting for the Slytherins and Dumbledore in a more discreet manner for the Gryffindors. _So Dumbledore has returned, _she mused.

She saw Snape giving an encouraging smile to Draco as the Slytherin captain swept past the stands.

When she took off her omnioculars, Draco and Harry were ten feet away from her, on the pitch, facing each other. Draco gestured to her, and she joined him a moment later.

"Madame Hooch, Miss Karkaroff will replace Mr. Goyle beginning with our next game," he said. "She will act as a reserve today."

"Very well, Mr. Malfoy," Madame Hooch said and shook Liliana's hand vigorously.

"Now get ready!"

Liliana turned to Draco, who looked very pale.

"Good luck, Draco," she muttered, her fingers briefly caressing his cheek in encouragement before returning to her place.

The two captains shook hands. A moment later, Madam Hootch released the Snitch, the Bludgers, and finally the Quaffle. The sound of her whistle marked the beginning of the match, and the players quickly took their positions. Liliana watched the two Seekers split the air as they moved towards the blue sky. The weather was fine, though quite chilly for October.

Harry reached his target first, a fine spot, situated mid-distance between the Slytherin and Gryffindor goals. It allowed him a clear view of the entire Quidditch pitch. Draco positioned himself a few meters away from him and carefully surveyed everything that was going on beneath them.

"When did you decide to replace Goyle?" Harry asked Draco loudly. He was still trying to regain his calm after seeing Liliana Karkaroff acting so tenderly towards Malfoy.

"It's not your damned business, Potter, what I do with my team," the answer came, rather predictably.

Draco had not even looked at his rival. He seemed very tired and was making visible efforts to stay focused on his search for the Snitch. "You better watch out for Dementors though," he mocked. "You remember what happened last time we played Quidditch."

Harry felt his anger mounting again, as Draco gave him his insufferable, disdainful smile.

"And Ginny scores for the Gryffindors, ladies and gentlemen," Luna Lovegood commented. "Isn't she the loveliest player you've ever seen? Ten points to the Gryffindors!"

"I don't understand who let Loony Luna comment on the game!" Draco said, as his smile faltered. "They must be just as insane as she is!"

"Shut up, Malfoy!" Harry shouted.

"Why, Potter, I forgot Loony is your girlfriend! So sorry!" Draco smirked.

Harry tried to ignore him, but he didn't manage, as he was trembling with suppressed anger. Therefore, he decided to play a little trick on Draco and suddenly dived towards the ground, plummeting through the centre of the Chasers. Malfoy instinctively followed him, convinced that Harry had spotted the Snitch. Harry's dive was pretty dangerous, but by now, he could execute a Wronski Feint perfectly. He pulled up a meter or so above the ground and spiraled away. When he turned his head to see what Draco had done, he saw the other boy had smashed into the ground. His broom was still in one piece, but Malfoy was lying on the grass. There was blood in his pale hair.

Madam Hooch called time out and hurried towards Draco, who had apparently fainted as a result of the impact.

Harry watched the Slytherin team gathering around them.

"He is unconscious!" Madame Hooch announced. "He should be taken to the Hospital Wing."

As she was saying these words, Draco opened his eyes and looked at her, puzzled. "What happened?" he inquired.

"You just smashed into the ground, Malfoy," Goyle readily informed him.

He tried to get up, but a moment later he realized he had probably hurt his right leg, because he couldn't move it.

"I think something's broken," he said, panic rising up in his chest.

"You'll be fine," a familiar voice said and Draco felt Liliana's arm around his waist. "Let me help you."

"No, we'll take him to the Hospital Wing!" Madam Hooch intervened.

"What?" Draco cried. "There's no way I'm going there. We're going to lose the game!"

"No, we won't," Liliana said tensely. "Lie down!"

"But Liliana," he pleaded.

"Listen to me," she ordered in the same tone.

He obeyed and sat back on the grass, stretching his leg. He winced when Liliana kneeled beside him and took her wand out.

"What do you think you're doing?" he hissed.

She checked his leg and seemed relieved.

"There's no broken bone," she said. "I'll make the pain go away for a while so you can continue to play."

"What do you mean _for a while_?" he inquired roughly.

"I mean it will come back in an hour or two, perhaps stronger, and then you will have to see Madam Pomfrey."

He nodded silently.

"This has already broken my concentration. Damn it!"

"I'll be there for you. We are going to do this together, ok?" she muttered. She smiled encouragingly before bowing over his leg and using her wand to alleviate his pain. A few incantations later, he felt better. A bit lightheaded, but better. Liliana looked at the cut in his hair and frowned.

"This looks worse, but it will heal," she whispered more to herself and pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket to press it to Draco's head.

"Hold on to this. The blood will stop soon."

"What did you mean when you said that we will do this together?" Draco demanded, pressing the handkerchief to his wound.

"Exactly that," she grinned sheepishly and turned to glimpse at Madam Hooch.

"Madam Hooch?" Liliana asked, over her shoulder. "Draco believes that I should replace Goyle immediately."

"You're a reserve in this game, Miss Karkaroff, but if it is the captain's will …"

Draco nodded.

"Fine," Madame Hooch said. "Everyone get back on their brooms. You too, Mr. Potter!"

With a sharp blast of her whistle, she set off. Harry lingered for just a second, enough to meet Liliana's chilling eyes. He felt like recoiling when he did. It was obvious that she was holding him responsible for what had happened to Malfoy. Her eyes seemed to throw daggers at him.

Furiously, he turned on his heals and grabbed his broom. It would be a tough game.

* * *

Liliana summoned Goyle's broom and bat with a swift move of her hand and kicked off furiously. Images of Potter tricking Draco into follow him, probably hoping that the latter would never be able to pull out of the dive in time, kept flashing before her eyes.

She circled the pitch twice, trying more to retrieve calm. Draco was at her side, much more confident now than before. Then they moved at top speed towards the sky, where Potter was hovering eighty feet above the ground.

"And there's been some change in the Slytherin team," Luna announced cheerfully. "Reserve player Liliana Karkaroff is going to replace Gregory Goyle. I don't understand how she will be able to team up with Crabbe though …"

She stopped her considerations because the Ron had managed to block the Quaffle and sent it to Ginny.

"And Ginny Weasley is in possession of the Quaffle again. Oh, no, Urquhart's got it! The Slytherins gain ten points."

Liliana heard cheers from the Slytherin stands as she stopped abruptly in front of Potter.

"I see you've finally got yourself a broom, Karkaroff," he mocked. "Will you please move. You're blocking my view!"

"Damn you, Potter!" she said angrily. "You pulled that on Draco on purpose!"

"So what if I did?" Harry challenged, eagerly surveying the pitch. "You Slytherins are going to lose the match again … no big news here!"

"Not this time," she said with a sneer and took off.

Harry noticed that she abruptly stopped near Malfoy to whisper something curtly in his ear, before she moved lower, opposite Crabbe.

Malfoy smirked knowingly in Harry's direction before turning his attention to the pitch again.

Both of them watched the Slytherin team making tremendous efforts to gain more points. They were playing aggressively, as always. Urquhart and Crabbe almost crushed Ginny between them, but they managed to get off unpunished. Karkaroff sent a Bludger in Ron's direction that almost destroyed his broom, while he was trying to stop a Slytherin Chaser from scoring. The Slytherins scored four times and the Gryffindors only once. Apparently, with Malfoy back on the team, the Slytherins were getting more confident.

Harry suppressed a smirk. As long as he played Seeker, Malfoy would never catch the Snitch again, even if Karkaroff was at his side. As he was admiring Ginny's dive to avoid another of Liliana's Bludgers, he spotted the Snitch not far away from the Slytherin goal poles. His eyes darted from the small golden devil to Malfoy, who was looking in the opposite direction.

Without hesitation, Harry dived at full speed towards the Slytherin goal poles. There was no way he would let the other team win.

"And the Snitch has been spotted, Ladies and Gentlemen! Potter is on its tail!" Luna Lovegood commented heatedly.

Harry could feel the wind blowing through his hair and his heart pounding furiously in his chest, as he hurried towards the target. The public was cheering him and the Gryffindor team, and Harry felt that well-known rush of blood through his veins. Gripping the broom with renewed force, he closed in the distance to the golden Snitch. Still the little devil did not seem eager to be caught. Harry had to circle half the pitch before it was in his immediate reach. Soon enough he felt Malfoy on his tail. The Slytherin was getting better as a Seeker, there was no doubt about it.

He stretched his hand further, almost feeling the flutter of the little Devil's wings. Malfoys was now almost shoulder to shoulder with him, and Harry swore loudly. He was almost there...

Just then his world blackened brusquely and he swayed unsurely, closing his eyes. A Bludger had just hit him in the back of his head. It was like the world was coming to an end, but Harry was still Harry, he could not just give up. He ignored the raging pain in his head, securely locking it for later, and forced his eyes open. The light hurt his eyes, but the Snitch was still there, in front of him.

Harry ignored gravitation, pain, everything and stood on his broom, stretching his hand further.

But it was the wrong thing to do, as a second Bludger smashed in his stomach knocking him violently off his broom.

He could not see or feel anything, but somehow he heard the Slytherins going crazy. They were cheering Malfoy. He had caught the Snitch.

Instinctively, Harry managed to grab the handle of his broom at the last second. His arm was trembling violently, and he knew he would not hold on for long, but a moment later, he felt another arm around his waist helping him back on the broom. Then Ron's worried voice was in his ear, coaxing a reaction of him: "Harry, are you alright?"

He managed to grunt something, absently pressing his stomach area. It seemed to burn from the pain. He regretted having breakfast that morning.

When he finally opened his eyes, it seemed like he was seeing through some kind of mist. Everything hurt, from his head to his stomach.

"Yes, I guess. So, we lost, or what?" he replied in a weak voice.

"Yes, it's not your fault Harry. You tried your best, but there's nothing you could do against such an attack. What a bitch!" Ron said angrily.

"What?" Harry managed, feeling the fuzziness and the pain slowly dispersing.

"Karkaroff, that bitch," Ron continued tersely. "Didn't you wonder where those Bludgers came from?"

Harry felt his blood going cold. He tried to focus on Ron's face.

"Liliana sent these at me? On purpose?"

"Of course it was on purpose," Ron replied seething. "The moment you and Malfoy moved into position, she was on your tail. And then she started to send Bludgers at you like she was trying to finish you off or something. When she got you with the first one, I got a very bad feeling she would not give up. I left the goal posts. I knew this would end badly. She is deranged, I swear."

Harry tried to process the information from Ron, but he did not want to believe it. But after the altercation at the beginning of the game, what Ron was saying seemed perfectly logical. The hits had been too precise to be sent by Crabbe, and the two Bludgers certainly couldn't have hit him twice by accident in a matter of seconds.

He tried to focus, bringing his attention to the Slytherins. Madam Hooch had just proclaimed their triumph, and Malfoy's team was doing a victory lap. When they finally stopped a few minutes later, Malfoy's hand was still gripping the Snitch. Not far from him, Karkaroff was watching him, a smile playing on her lips.

Harry felt his temper rising, as Malfoy called her to give him five. She flew to his side and smacked her hand over his open palm cheerfully. Then, the Slytherin Seeker held the other hand in which he had the Snitch and passed it to her, grinning. She intertwined her fingers with his so that the small golden ball would not get away. Malfoy then dived off towards the ground with the other players, leaving Karkaroff alone.

A second later she turned around and met his gaze. The look in her eyes was defiant in spite of Harry angry stare. She held the Snitch towards him, as if she was daring him to go after the Snitch and Harry unconsciously leaned forward, his eyes fixed on Karkaroff's smirking face.

"What's the matter, Potter? Finding it hard to lose the game?" Liliana challenged. "You were so sure of yourself only half an hour ago. I bet you couldn't catch this even if you were alone on the pitch." She raised the hand holding the Snitch.

Ron grabbed Harry's arm, as he felt the tension rising.

"Malfoy would have never caught the Snitch if you had not attacked me," Harry said, a sharp edge to his voice.

"Maybe yes, maybe not" she replied lazily. "But you see Potter, it is called _team work_. I did my job, and Draco did his."

"What you did went far beyond team work, Karkaroff. You nearly had Harry killed," Ron intervened against his better will.

The other Gryffindors were gathering menacingly behind Harry. Karkaroff did not seem bothered.

"As I said, I don't believe your little Quidditch star can catch the Snitch. As a matter of fact, I bet he can't catch it now, if I release it."

Several people laughed loudly. Harry himself chuckled, his hold on the broom handle relaxing.

"I bet I can catch the Snitch against you or Malfoy anytime," he said confidently.

"Well, let's just find out Potter," she said. "How about I raise that challenge right now?"

"Fine," Harry snapped, ripping his arm from Ron's grasp.

People around them dispersed in a large circle to make room for them. In the stands, most of the spectators remained on the spot, their eyes glued to the upcoming confrontation.

Karkaroff gazed meaningfully at Harry and released the Snitch.

It sprung to life at once. Harry dived after it just as quickly without lingering to wonder why his adversary had not moved an inch. Far away he heard Luna's voice: "It looks like there will be trouble. Potter and the new girl Karkaroff are having some sort of private match. Madam Hooch, please return on the pitch to stop this nonsense."

Both players ignored the annoying voice.

Liliana was leaning on the broomstick, watching Potter circling the pitch with narrowed eyes. She hadn't moved an inch since she had released the Snitch. She made her calculations quickly, before turning her broom to the left, in a certain angle and prepared to take her dive. _Yes, Potter, bring it closer … good boy._

She could feel that familiar wave of excitement take over her, but she managed to stay cool a few more seconds, until the right moment, when she propelled herself into the almost impossible race.

And suddenly the whole stadium seemed to draw in a breath, because there was a moment of complete silence, before hell burst over and everyone started shouting. They watched Liliana fall from the sky like an arrow, completely aligned with the broom, so that she seemed to fly by herself, rather than attached to a flying object. And she was flying on a certain course. Fifty feet below, Harry Potter was chasing after the Snitch.

"She'll crush into him!" Luna Lovegood commented, agape.

He was almost there; Harry was so close that he nearly felt the fluttering of the Snitch's small wings. He was so focused that he could not hear anything around him. He stretched further and caught one of the wings between two fingers, but at the same moment the Snitch was almost snatched from him. Karkaroff had also taken hold of the Snitch. Harry had not seen her following him, and he realized that she had come from above. He fought desperately to keep his grip on the Snitch, as Karkaroff took him in a forceful flight towards the ground.

"Let go, Potter!" she shouted, trying to force the Snitch out of Harry's hand.

They were facing each other in a parallel flight now, the Snitch between them. For the first time Harry noticed how compact the material of which the little devil was made. It was a miracle it was still in one piece.

Harry's eyes left the Snitch to lock gazes with Liliana. He found nothing but a dreadful sort of determination in those fierce eyes.

"There's no way I am going to let go of it," he said resolutely, his fist closing around the small wing of the Snitch with all his force.

"Then you'll smash into the ground, Potter!" she hissed back, looking down to prepare for the inevitable crush.

They were merely ten feet away from what appeared to be an imminent disaster, since neither of them was fancying the option of pulling up or giving up on the Snitch. Harry was wondering why he was acting so foolishly, but he already knew the answer. There was no way he would step back from Karkaroff's dare.

"And you'll go down with me, Karkaroff!" he replied, his eyes on the ground now, searching desperately for a solution.

"Oh, no, poor Harry, he's really in trouble now," Luna Lovegood was crying into the microphone, as the whole pitch was holding its breath.

They watched in horror as Harry and Liliana, still struggling for the Snitch smashed into the ground.

* * *

A/N: I would like to thank everyone who reviewed the story so far, especially the last chapter. It's good to know that I am on the right track from your reactions! Cheers!


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER ****10 – TOM'S RING**

Liliana allowed herself to slide a bit towards the end of her broom, so she was shoulder to shoulder with Potter. She gripped the Snitch with all her force. The Snitch would have to be her salvation. She knew she had to reduce the impact as much as possible. Though she had done that before, she knew that the risk of severe wounding was high. The moment the handle of the broom touched the ground, she let go of the broom and propelled herself as far away as possible from it, pulling the Snitch along with her. It would have given her a moment of equilibrium, as she'd thought it would, if Potter had let go. But he hadn't.

Liliana landed hard on her back; her left arm hurt like hell. _Broken,_ she thought as coolly as possible under the circumstances. _Thanks, you idiot. _

A moment later, Harry landed right on top of the former Durmstrang student, pinning her to the ground.

The two students didn't move for a few seconds, still suffering from the impact. Liliana's entire body was hurting. As if the whole crashing thing wasn't enough, Potter had landed on her.

When she finally opened her eyes, it was to see if she still had the Snitch. She did; but Merlin help her, Potter's hand was also clutched around it. That's why he had landed on her. She had, in fact, pulled him down.

Harry couldn't believe he was still alive after the impact. He had actually flown from his broom to land on something soft and…he opened his eyes and found himself looking into Liliana's. Her face was a mere inch away from his.

"Get off me, Potter!" she shouted resentfully.

Harry tilted his head and shot the golden Snitch a look. He sighed in relief. He hadn't gone to that much trouble for nothing. He was its rightful catcher, not Karkaroff, who had acted like a predator.

Then his gaze returned to Liliana's face, and he became still. He was suddenly aware of their proximity and the way her body felt against his. All the emotions, positive or negative, she had caused in him since her arrival suddenly took a new form. His heart was pounding, and blood was rushing through his veins, and had nothing to do with Quidditch, or catching the Snitch, or even smashing into the ground. This was new and different and almost frightening, and Harry didn't know what to do. It was nothing he had felt around other girls. There was something fierce rising inside of him and cutting off his breathing with its force.

He noticed the way Liliana was staring at him, a strange glow in her eyes; the way her lips were slowly parted, as if she wanted to say something to him; the way her cheeks were flushed, because of the anger or because of something else…

Harry bit his lip and thought he must have gone mad to feel like that, but he was acting on pure instinct. He slowly lowered his head, still not breaking eye contact.

Liliana watched Potter's eyes light up when he realized he was still holding the Snitch and tried to move, to get him off her, but she was too tired and he was far too heavy.

Then Potter turned his head to look at her again and there was something in his eyes – Merlin help her, Liliana had never thought green eyes would ever look so appealing – that made her heart flutter. She wanted to say something cruel to him, but she just couldn't manage. She couldn't look away; it was like she was hypnotized or something. The strange, _fierce_, determined glimmer in his eyes seemed somehow disturbingly familiar, and she just could not resist it. Her entire being responded to it. He lowered his face, and she _knew_ he would kiss her. Normally, she would have done something to prevent it, but her body would not listen to her. And her brain wasn't working anymore — otherwise how could she be looking forward to feel his lips against hers?

But Potter seemed to snap out of his trance at the last moment and pulled away quickly. Madame Hooch, followed by arguing Gryffindor and Slytherin teams, was approaching. She snatched the Snitch from their hands and helped Harry up.

_What was I thinking?_ Harry wondered, still amazed by the way he had acted only moments ago towards Karkaroff.

Ron and Ginny grabbed him and started to check his body for injuries.

"You're alright, Harry?" Ginny gasped, worried.

"I'm fine," he answered, a bit amused that people were worried about _him_.

"Bloody hell, Harry, we thought that was the end of you," Ron said, still shaken. "That girl almost crushed you!"

"No, she just wanted to win our little bet," Harry answered, as he watched Karkaroff being pulled up by Crabbe and Goyle. She seemed all right.

"I don't even want to know what the two of you were thinking!" Madame Hooch spat angrily. "This is a SPORT, not a way to get killed!"

All the teachers were hurrying towards them now, and the other students had invaded the pitch to take a closer look at the incident.

"You both caught the Snitch at the same time, and I have never seen such determination. It's happened before, but only at professional games," she added, a smile forming on her lips. Then she sobered up: "This calls for a detention. I will inform Dumbledore."

She turned on her heel abruptly and left.

Draco Malfoy hurried towards Liliana. He was still dragging his leg a bit, but that didn't stop him from lifting her in the air and swirling her around. "You were amazing, absolutely amazing! That shoot from the sky was…breathtaking" he said. "And just as mad. What were you thinking?"

"Thanks! I was just trying to win a bet," she said. She lowered her head and pressed a soft, quick kiss on his lips before the other players snatched her from Draco and carried her towards the changing rooms.

Harry watched them walk to the changing rooms singing loudly.

"I still can't believe we lost the game!" he said.

"It's not your fault, Harry! Such people should not be allowed to play," Ron said almost appologetically.

But Harry wasn't listening to them. For the second time in a row, his team had been defeated.

And as if he wasn't in enough trouble already, he was really starting to fall for Malfoy's girl.

"Ron, at the risk of repeating myself, I really need to talk to you," he said. Ron nodded solemnly.

"Go!" Ginny said. "I have to get some stuff. I'll catch up with you guys later."

She waited for them to disappear from eye sight before finding courage to walk towards Malfoy, who had stayed behind in an attempt to recover what was left of his broomstick. Ginny had watched Malfoy's accident in horror. She'd had a lot of trouble concentrating on the match after the incident.

He noted her presence and turned to face her.

"What do you want, Weasel girl?" he asked.

"Waswonderingif'realright…" she mumbled.

"What was that?" Malfoy inquired, raising a brow.

"Are you alright? I saw you fall, and I was wondering…"

Malfoy looked nonplussed. "Since when do you care if I'm alright or not?" His leg was hurting like hell, now that Liliana's incantations no longer worked, but there was no way he was going to admit that in front of a blood traitor like her.

Ginny felt her cheeks warm up. What she was doing was stupid, but she needed to get closer to him and find out why she found it hard to do anything else than think about him lately. He must have put some spell on her, because there was no reasonable explanation for the fact that she was trembling so badly, just because he was standing half a meter away from her.

She noticed again how handsome Draco had grown; strands of pale, blond hair framed his aristocratic features. So, it wasn't only in her mind. After all, he was the child of one of the most beautiful witches around, and it seemed that he had grown to resemble more his mother than his father. The only resemblance to Lucius now was the platinum shade of his hair.

She drew in a quick breath. "Let me help you back to the hospital wing, Malfoy. It's quite obvious that your leg is hurting," she said and moved towards him.

Draco frowned at her, not believing his ears. "What's wrong with you?" he spat, jerking her helpful hand away. "I won't let a blood traitor touch me! The world has not come to and end yet, Weaselette."

"Suit yourself, Malfoy," she said, disgusted, and left.

Draco looked after her in wonder. Of course the end of the world was near, since Ginevra Weasely was trying to help _him_.

Ginny tried to ignore the raging anger rising in her at being called a blood traitor. She knew she had brought it upon herself with her childish behavior, though. Malfoy would always remain a horrible jerk; she should have known better. And now Malfoy had a new girlfriend, a pureblood, and he didn't mind kissing her in front of all school.

Still, Ginny realized that she didn't care much about Malfoy having a girlfriend. Before Liliana, there had been Pansy Parkinson. Who cared about them, anyway?

Draco Malfoy was a challenge, and Ginevra Weasley loved challenges. By the end of the year, she would make him crazy about her, no matter what. And she would also be doing Harry a great favor, because by the expression on Harry's face when he had seen Liliana kiss Malfoy, Harry would really appreciate Ginny's help.

When she reached the Gryffindor Common Room, Ginny had a broad smile on her face.

Hermione waved to Ginny as the redhead crossed the common room towards the girls' dorm.

"OK, I'm going up to read a book, because with all this noise in here it's impossible!" she said and left Harry and Ron on the couch next to the fireplace. "Make sure you finish your homework for tomorrow, Ronald!"

"She's getting more annoying every day!" Ron blurted, as soon as she was out of earshot. "Now spit it out, Harry! What was it you wanted to talk to me about, and why couldn't you include Hermione in the conversation?"

Harry could not hold back a smile. Ron looked eager to hear Harry's new secret and actually enjoyed the idea of Harry preferring to speak to him _alone_.

"It's about Liliana Karkaroff," he said.

"There we go again. I should have known," Ron said, folding his arms. "Do I have to sit at the Slytherin table again?"

"Come on, Ron, I just need a piece of advice," Harry replied and started to explain what had happened between himself and Liliana during the past two weeks.

"You should have told me you were spying on the Slytherins. I would have joined you," was Ron's sole remark after hearing Harry out.

"Look, Ron, you have enough work as it is, with homework, Quidditch strategies, and being a Prefect. And I guess this quest to find out what Karkaroff was planning was also motivated by a let's say…er…personal interest in her. "

"What do you mean by _personal interest_?"

_Why is Ron making this so difficult_, Harry wondered.

"Well, I think I'm beginning to like her."

Ron rolled his eyes: "Harry, you said it yourself. Your interest in her springs from the mystery around her. You don't really like her, trust me."

"I wish it were that easy, but I think there's more to it."

"So what do you want me to say, Harry?" Ron asked, bewildered. "Does _she_ like you?"

Harry shook his head.

"Thought that much, by the way she reacted in the Great Hall last Sunday. She actually thinks you are responsible for Voldemort's return."

"Yeah, even so, I think…"

"She also kissed Malfoy today on the Quidditch pitch. I saw that myself."

"Maybe, but…"

"And she made three attempts to kill you today."

"Ron what I want to say…"

Harry didn't finish his sentence. He caught sight of the clock on the fireplace.

"Oh, God, it's past seven. Let's go eat something. It's Tuesday, and I have Occlumency with Snape at eight."

"You still haven't told me what advice you wanted."

"Er…" Harry looked at him a bit embarrassed. "You don't have to…but I was wondering what to do…should I tell her anything?"

"And be the joke of the entire Slytherin House?"

Harry blushed.

"Maybe not," he agreed. "Let's get Hermione and go to dinner."

* * *

That evening after dinner, Harry took the stairs down to Snape's dungeon. Karkaroff and Malfoy had not appeared for dinner, but most of the Slytherins were not present either, because of the party that was on in their common room.

As he was getting closer to Snape's office, Harry heard loud voices. He recognized Snape and Karkaroff who were, by the looks of it, arguing about something. He came closer to the door and listened carefully.

"I am utterly disappointed with you, Liliana!" he heard Snape saying angrily.

"Yeah, sure, don't think you're the first one telling me that!" Karkaroff's voice was quivering with anger.

"You need to hear it again. It is obvious that you do; otherwise you would not foolishly risk your life when everyone has been doing whatever needed to keep you safe."

"And it's not like I haven't dedicated my entire existence to doing what everyone else asked of me! Everyone else, but _myself_!"

"Well, it's not enough!"

Harry would have continued to listen to the conversation if he hadn't heard noise coming from the room, like shattered glass. For a moment, Harry thought Snape might have hurt Liliana and felt the urge of kick the door open. Then he came to his senses (Snape was a teacher at Hogwarts, he would not hurt a student on purpose, not even him) and knocked on the door.

"Come in," he heard Snape's cool voice.

Harry entered the room and looked around eagerly.

Snape was already behind his desk, his expression blank, but Liliana was leaning against the opposite wall, panting heavily. There were several glass containers shattered on the floor.

With a twist of his wand, Snape cleared up the mess.

"Come closer, Potter" he said, ignoring Harry's obvious curiosity.

Harry obeyed.

"You'll start working together, immediately," Snape said, sitting down at his desk.

"Your target, Mr. Potter, is to select a memory you want to keep away from Ms Karkaroff's intrusion. And you Miss Karkaroff will play _legilimens. _Wands at hand, at least at the beginning. This demands a lot of concentration from both of you."

Liliana came to stand near Harry.

"You know the spell," Snape continued, "but the spell in itself means nothing. For instance, Potter, the Dark Lord will never actually say the word, as you well know. He doesn't need to say it. Nevertheless, he will … "

He stopped talking, because Dumbledore was firecalling him.

"Yes, Headmaster," he answered quickly, approaching the fireplace.

"I need you to come to my office now, Severus," Dumbledore said. His voice sounded very weak.

Without losing any time, Snape turned to the two students: "Don't talk, don't move, don't touch anything. I'll be right back," he said and hurried out of the door.

Both Harry and Liliana had sensed that the headmaster was in some kind of trouble, and neither of them was willing to sit around and wait for Snape to come back.

"What do you think?" Harry asked.

"I have a hunch what this is all about," she said frowning slightly. "Stay here. I'll be right back."

"Wait" Harry said. "I am coming with you."

"You're not afraid of losing points from Gryffindor, Potter?" she teased.

"Shut up and come already," he replied, biting back a grin. They closed the door carefully behind them and started for the stairs.

"What was that discussion about?" he inquired. "You were both yelling when I arrived." He was prepared for an acid remark from Karkaroff, but there was none.

"I ought to watch out for my temper," she said quietly. "That's all."

"He was saying something about duty and stuff…" Harry pushed further, encouraged by Karkaroff's mild reaction.

"Yeah…It's just that I am tired of being told what to do. He was angry about our little incident at the match today. Risking my life for a stupid Quidditch dare. But he doesn't understand how it feels because he never played. It makes me feel so…"

"Alive?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. Flying is amazing. I wish I could learn to fly without a broom."

"I don't know if that's possible," Harry said. "But it's worth investigating."

They stopped in front of Dumbledore's gargoyle and looked at each other insecurely.

"I need the password. Do you know it?" Liliana asked.

"You don't know the password?" Harry asked incredulously. "How did you enter last time?"

"I've been accompanied every time I came here. I don't know it."

"Maybe there's a reason for not letting you know the password, Karkaroff. Now be a good girl and go over there while I say it."

"You must be kidding me."

"Actually, no. Do it, or you are not going up to the headmaster's office."

"Fine," she snapped and moved a few feet away.

"Apple pie," Harry said quietly and gestured to Liliana. "Come on!"

"Wait, Potter! Where do you think you're going?"

"Up," Harry answered, a bit surprised.

"I don't think that's such a good idea. Snape will have your head on a plate."

"And you think he'll welcome you instead?" he scowled.

"Not exactly. But I have reason to believe he will not take fifty points from the Slytherins if I go up there."

Harry considered the situation for a moment.

"You're probably right. Still, I am willing to taking that risk."

Liliana rolled her eyes.

"Look, Potter, I'll make you a deal. I'll tell you what happened tomorrow morning. Now go back to the dungeons or Gryffindor tower, because by the looks of it, it will be long before Snape comes back."

She stopped talking and looked at him impatiently.

"Just trust me," she repeated the words Harry had said to her a few days before.

Though he did not trust her at all, Harry thought the deal was better than leaving without any information. He was in no mood to argue with Snape and Dumbledore, especially after his last conversation with the headmaster.

"All right. But tomorrow morning I want to hear what happened."

She nodded and stepped on the stairs.

* * *

Snape turned around swiftly as Liliana entered the headmaster's office without knocking.

"What is she doing here?" Dumbledore asked.

He was collapsed on a chair next to his desk. Snape was kneeling at his feet. He was muttering an incantation and stopped briefly to answer to the headmaster.

"I didn't call her, Headmaster."

"Would you be so kind as to leave us, Miss Karkaroff? Whatever you have to say to me will have to wait until tomorrow."

But Liliana completely ignored Dumbledore's words. Her eyes moved quickly from Dumbledore's hand, which was almost black and covered in blood, to a ring on the floor that had probably fallen from his hand.

"You found it."

It was a quiet acknowledgement, as if she was talking to herself, not to anyone else present.

"Don't touch it!" Snape shouted. "There is a curse on it."

"Is that what happened?" She moved closer to Dumbledore.

"How strong is it?"

"I can only stop it from spreading. I cannot heal it," Snape replied tensely.

"There's a way. You know there is," she said, looking at Dumbledore, who returned her a horrified look.

"You will not use Dark Magic on me, girl!" he drawled.

"I am not asking for your permission, Professor," she said, pulling up her sleeve. "I will not fight this war alone." Dumbledore's lip curled, but he said nothing.

With a quick move, she used Igor Karkaroff's sword to slash her vein above her left palm.

She let her some of her blood spill on Dumbledore's arm and muttered an incantation that the two teachers did not understand, except for the first word which was "finite."

Dumbledore watched in amazement as the curse disappeared, leaving his arm completely healed. Actually, it looked as if it had not been affected by the curse at all.

Liliana took her wand and closed her vein. The blood vanished.

"Using a dark spell to counter another dark spell to save your life doesn't seem like such a terrible thing to do, Professor," she said, gravely.

"Well, it is, Miss Karkaroff. It's a matter of principle."

Still, Dumbledore was relieved, against his better judgment.

"Yeah, and one of my principles says that I will not lose any of my allies, if I can prevent it."

She glanced at the ring on the floor.

Snape stood up and gave Dumbledore an "I told you so" look.

Before any of the professors had the time to react, Liliana waved her hand, and the ring flew to wrap itself perfectly around her outstretched finger.

"To think," she muttered, "a part of his soul is inside this."

She briefly closed her eyes and felt the wave of magic surge through her veins.

Snape rose to his feet warily, his eyes fixed on Liliana's hand. The curse did not seem to produce any effects on her.

"Take it off, Liliana. You cannot keep it. It must be destroyed," he said.

But Liliana continued to look at it, fascinated, as if she had not heard him at all.

"Can I keep the ring, after we destroy the Horcrux?"

"Not a good idea," Dumbledore said, looking at her with interest. "How did you know the curse would not affect you? Why did you put it on your finger when you'd seen its effect on me?"

Liliana took off the ring and gave it to the headmaster.

"I did not know," she said and then stopped abruptly, horror filling her gaze at the realization. "I did not think. It just seemed like the right thing to do."

Dumbledore avoided her searching eyes.

"You'd better destroy it yourself. It seems that the Horcrux won't resist you," he said.

Liliana took Dumbeldore's offered sword, put the ring on Dumbledore's desk, and hit it hard with the weapon.

Far, far away from Hogwarts, Lord Voldemort awoke with a jolt.

* * *

_**A/N: Ok guys, I just want to let you know that the best chapters are still to come, my own personal favorite being the next one. I will let you guess why. Cheers!**_

_**Chantal**_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 **

**His Worst Fear**

He slowly opened his eyes and took a deep breath. The pain in his chest was searing.

_Calm down. Nothing is wrong. They wouldn't dare to poison you._

He had been violently awoken from his sleep by a sudden wave of pain. Having a body again was a wonderful thing that he had grown used to over the past year, but it also had its inconveniencies. He could experience hunger, thirst or pain again. He could feel cold again. It was rather disconcerting.

Before he had the time to find the cause of the pain, it disappeared, leaving him as empty and numb as always. He let go of the breath he had been holding and brushed his spidery, white fingers over the skin of his snake-like skull. It still felt odd; he was still having trouble acknowledging his appearance. He had always been so proud of his looks, and he had never hesitated to use them to his benefit. And now he had to put up with this ugly, fragile body.

Of course, he hadn't had too much of a choice at that moment.

The spell that managed to provide him with a body was quite clear: bone of the father, flesh of the servant, and blood of the enemy. His father was a Muggle, his servant was Wormtail, and his worst enemy was Harry Potter. All of them were so obviously weak. Nothing good could come out of such an unfortunate combination. But after years of surviving in snake bodies, feeding himself on unicorn blood, and being at Wormtail's mercy, he had been so desperate to possess a body of his own that he had decided to go on with the spell at all costs.

He sat up on the edge of the comfortable bed, his bare feet touching the cold stone floor. The incompetent house elves had forgotten to light up the fire in the hearth again. His hand searched for the wand under his pillow and found it. He was carrying his wand at all times, though he was able to do some wandless magic too. He knew he couldn't trust any of the Death Eaters anymore. He had been naïve to believe that they would be faithful to him! Fourteen years before, he had thought they would come looking for him and that they would continue to fight for his cause; instead, the moment he had disappeared, they had gone into hiding, like scared little kittens. The only thing keeping them around him now was the genuine fear he was inspiring in them and their families.

He waved the wand, and the fireplace burst into red flames.

The retaliation he had recently taken against those who had betrayed him had produced an immense amount of fear within the Death Eaters' circle. He could sense their panic rise as soon as he entered a room where they were gathered. There were only a few people who could actually manage to look him in the eyes these days.

And it felt so good…he finally felt safe.

Fear was really the only way a leader could govern.

He had been thinking that being an inspirational leader could earn him the faith of the wizarding world. That was before he had lost his powers.

Ever since, Tom Riddle had learned better. They had all betrayed him. Therefore, fear was the only means of persuasion.

He paced around the room, trying to focus on the recently felt pain. Where could it have come from? He always drank a bit of Dreamless draught before sleep, to be safe from nightmares. He did not dream of the crimes he had committed; only the weak could be tortured by such trivial things.

But he had some concerns of his own. He feared betrayal from the Death Eaters.

Harry Potter was still much too young to represent any danger to him, but when he would be of age and ready to fight back, some Death Eaters might offer Potter help to bring Tom's reign to an end.

Then there was Dumbledore. The old fool was still alive. Tom knew Dumbledore would never confront him. He had always been a coward. But the fact that his old teacher was still alive and that he might interfere with his plans again didn't make him feel any better.

He sighed and sat on the couch in front of the fireplace, resting his legs under him with a sinuous move that he wasn't even aware of.

He was secured against death of course, but he had no special interest in having to put up with a mutiny. He glanced at the clock on the mantel piece. It was eleven o'clock in the evening. He had been sleeping all day long; his magically concocted body needed more rest than a normal body.

He wondered what Bellatrix had managed to do at Durmstrang. He had ordered her to bring Karkaroff to him for questioning. The headmaster had been such a traitorous snake, it made him sick. His most faithful lieutenants had gone to Azkaban because of him. Tom needed to punish the bastard himself.

He had allowed Bella to lead the attack because she was the one who had most suffered the effects of Karkaroff's betrayal: fifteen years in the company of the Dementors. In the end, the Lestrange girl had proved to be his most faithful follower. Who would have thought? She had been so young when she had joined the dark side that few of his people had taken her seriously.

He waved his wand again. He had set powerful spells around his room to be sure no one would be able to enter without permission. He set off the alarms and started for the door. He had to find out about the results of the raid.

* * *

Around twenty people were gathered in the great living room at Malfoy Manor. The Malfoy family had owned the property for eleven generations. It was a quite impressive medieval castle, surrounded by a large garden.

The living room was round and heavily decorated. The walls were covered in sculpted wood, and the floor was made of black marble. At least ten statues encircled the room. A handsome marble mantelpiece was situated above a huge fireplace directly across from the entrance.

The Malfoys had removed all the furniture from the room since they'd had the honor of welcoming the Dark Lord into their home. A large, wooden table had been placed in the middle of the room. The piece was mainly used for gatherings now.

The people gathered in the room were talking agitatedly when the door of the room suddenly swung open and a dark, tall figure appeared in the doorway. Instantly, all discussions halted and the people present in the room bowed deeply to the hooded figure in front of them.

"My lord, you have finally decided to honor us with your presence. We were beginning to wonder…"

Tom eyed the tall man with long, white-blond hair who had dared to speak. It was his host, Lucius Malfoy.

"Wonder what, Lucius? If I would wake up again?" He managed a lipless smile. "How considerate of you!"

Lucius Malfoy had been very pale when Voldemort appeared in the doorway. Now his expression was terrified, and it pleased Tom.

"My lord, I did not mean anything of the kind…I swear," Lucius said quickly.

Tom did not honor him with any other comment in response to his babbling, though. His eyes darted the room anxiously.

"Where is Bella?" he inquired. "I do not see her."

"My lord," Lucius spoke again. "Bella is not here."

Tom was starting to lose patience. _Why do all of them have to be such idiots?_

"Why state the obvious, Lucius?" He spoke in the calmest tone he could manage. "Where is she then?"

"Bellatrix chose not to come back with the rest of us tonight. She stayed behind, on Hogwarts grounds, to bring down a traitor," Malfoy explained in a shaky voice. He could not look Voldemort in the eye. He knew what would come.

"Are you trying to tell me that you left Bella behind?" Tom asked. His voice was controlled, but his chest filled with anger as he spoke. He surveyed the expressions on the Death Eaters' faces carefully. The people who had participated in the raid at Malfoy's side – Yaxley, Greyback, Crabbe, and Lucius' wife, Narcissa seemed on the verge of nervous breakdowns. Yaxley's hand was already under his robe, most probably gripping his wand. Narcissa's hands were trembling violently, and Tom saw her glancing nervously at her husband. Greyback was breathing heavily, like there was a huge burden placed on his chest. Crabbe had the best composure of them all. He was most certainly unaware of the gravity of the whole situation.

But the others knew. They knew how the Dark Lord would blame them for Bella's lack of clairvoyance and for her inability to deal with dangerous situations when she was angry. The Dark Lord would think they left her behind on purpose — to get rid of her his favorite follower.

Lucius recited their defense quickly: "My lord, this time it was Bella in command. It was her mission. She chose to stay behind. We insisted that she came with us, but she refused. She was so angry with that Durmstrang girl. We were on Hogwarts grounds, so we could not linger there. We had to obey her order!"

"It is the second time you have failed me, Lucius," Tom said coldly. "Bella commanded you…what about Death Eater loyalty? What happened with that? DEATH EATERS DO NOT LEAVE THEIR OWN KIND BEHIND! You have made a vow, all of you, to stand up for one another and to be loyal to one another! Where is your loyalty now, Lucius?"

Tom watched Malfoy shiver. He was dead pale.

"How about you, Narcissa? How could you leave your _sister_ behind?" Tom asked silkily, taking a few steps towards Lucius' wife. "What kind of sisterly affection is that?"

Before he could take another step, Malfoy threw himself at his feet.

"My lord," he cried. "My lord, we would never betray Bella. She is our family! She wanted us to go. She was in command. We had to obey! _You_ told us to obey!"

Tom, disgusted, managed to pull away from Lucius, who was gripping uncontrollably the hem of his robes.

He pointed his wand at Yaxley: "Explain!"

As Tom seated himself at the long table and the others took their allotted places, Yaxley commenced his relation of the day's events.

"My lord, Bella and I had just captured Karkaroff, and Bella was inflicting the _Cruciatus_ on him to be sure he would not dare fight back while we carried him here, when Lucius sent us a Patronus to come and give him a hand against the seventh year students. They were protecting the map to Grindewald's prison; they were sure we were after it and had lifted barricades in the deputy headmaster's office. They were showing fierce resistance to Lucius and Narcissa."

"So you left Karkaroff there and went to help these idiots," Tom drawled. "And the traitor escaped me again!" He clenched his fists under the table.

"No, milord, that's not what happened!" Yaxley said quickly.

"What was your primarily objective, Yaxley?" Tom continued, as if he had not heard Yaxley. "I told you to get Karkaroff. I do not need the stupid map. I know Grindewald's whereabouts!"

Though the whole audience was astonished to find out that Voldemort knew where the most secret prison in the wizarding world was located, their eyes moved back to Yaxley eagerly.

"Milord, Karkaroff did not escape. He is…dead." Yaxley said, avoiding Voldemort's gaze.

He did not manage to say another word because a flash of green light struck him down. Forever silenced.

Tom's patience had reached its limits. He was having a most unpleasant day. He turned to face Lucius Malfoy.

"Explain!" he commanded.

Lucius managed to take his eyes from the dead body lying on the floor with great difficulty.

"Milord, when we returned to Igor's office, he was dead. Someone else had been in the room, a student, who had taken Salazar's sword and was just preparing to flee when we spotted her. We tried to apprehend her, but she fought back. I must say, her magic was well above the skills of a student. She managed to conjure a broom and jumped off the window. We tracked her and followed her, but she was very fast. My guess is that she was a Quidditch player by the way she was flying. We believe she must be underage because she did not choose to Disapparate though we had managed to break their spells and Apparate on Durmstrang grounds and thus the possibility of Disapparating existed."

"Spare me the details," Tom intervened impatiently. "Is she dead? Where's the Slytherin sword?"

"I was just getting there, milord. We followed her for hours and asked for the help of the Dementors, but we could not apprehend her. She was heading for Hogwarts."

"It seems like she knew about Dumbledore. She thought she'd be safe there."

"Absolutely, milord," Lucius agreed, happy that Voldemort had not cursed him yet.

"Therefore, when we reached Hogwarts, I asked Bella to return, but she wouldn't listen. She was keen on killing that student. She ordered us to go. We did not want to, but she insisted until we had to."

"So you left her there, and she has not returned yet," Tom concluded.

"I'm afraid so, milord. We were all in danger on Hogwarts grounds. It would have been madness to stay."

Tom remotely registered Malfoy's terrified expression. He was fighting between anger and a good laugh. By now, Bella had to be in Azkaban. The bitch deserved it, though. She had willingly fallen into the old fool's hands, and it was entirely her fault.

"Well, bring me the _Prophet_ first thing tomorrow morning," he finally said, amused. He watched the Death Eaters around him wearing expressions that oscillated between fear and bewilderment.

Tom stood, and the others jumped to their feet too. He left the room and opened the manor's front door. He had not seen Nagini in a week, but he hoped she would be somewhere in the gardens. He had an assignment for her.

* * *

The next morning, Tom took his time reading the entire article about Bellatrix Lestrange's capture in the _Prophet_. As he had predicted, Bella was already in prison, strictly guarded by Aurors and, of course, by Dementors.

He was having breakfast in the dining room, and he had requested Lucius' presence.

"Has Nagini returned yet?" he asked Malfoy, placing his cup of tea on the table.

"No, not yet milord. I have not seen her," Lucius answered warily. He was still shaken after Tom's outburst the previous evening.

At least Yaxley had benefited from a proper burial, because Nagini was nowhere to be found. The Dark Lord had the nasty habit of always feeding his victims to Nagini.

"She keeps wandering around those damn gardens of yours, Lucius," Tom said annoyed. "I could not find her last night. I called her, but she wouldn't show up."

"Milord, Nagini will show up soon; she always does. She was raised in the forests, and she enjoys freedom."

Lucius watched Voldemort's face contort into a hideous scowl.

"Find her, Malfoy", he barked, returning to reading the _Prophet_.

"Milord, what about Bella?"

"What about her?"

"Shouldn't we go and take her from Azkaban?"

"We shall let Bella enjoy her new cell for a while. Maybe next time she will think first and act later," he said without taking his eyes from the newspaper.

Lucius gaped. Even _he_ felt sorry for his sister-in-law, though he could not stand her. Leaving her at the Dementors' mercy was too cruel, even for Voldemort.

As Lucius left the dining room, leaving the Dark Lord to read Rita Skeeter's fantasized account of Bellatrix's life, he crossed paths with Voldemort's pet; she was slithering towards the entrance of the dining room. As she past him by, Nagini raised her head, darted her tongue out, and hissed. Lucius scowled in disgust. Most of the Death Eaters liked snakes, but Nagini terrified them all.

Nagini slithered further through the half-open door of the dining room until she encircled herself around Tom's armchair and hissed tenderly, resting her head on Tom's right leg.

Tom continued to read _The Daily Prophet_ as if he had not noticed her presence.

Nagini hissed again, and Tom shook her off.

"Next time you are missing for three days in a row, find yourself another master, Nagini," he spoke back in Parseltongue.

Then he looked down at her and froze. Nagini had been gravely injured. Part of her tail was gone, and she had begun to grow a new one.

"What happened to you, girl?" he asked.

As the snake spoke to him again, Tom raised an eyebrow.

"It seems like the same person managed to nail both you and Bella," he hissed back. "What were you doing on Hogwarts grounds? Searching for fresh meat, were we? Again?"

The snake shook her head violently. Tom smirked.

"That's what you deserve, Nagini. I told you not to leave these grounds. I needed you here to do something for me, and you were nowhere to be found!"

At this point, Nagini began to hiss furiously. Tom frowned.

"Spying on Harry Potter you say? Nagini, what a dirty creature you are…" Tom looked pleased, though. "Still, you are taking this enmity with that stupid kid much too seriously," he added, resuming his reading.

Nagini began to circle his armchair.

"Fine, I see you've had quite a busy night! Now flee, I'm reading!"

The snake did not seem too eager to leave though. Tom was getting impatient. _Maybe I should make another horcrux. Animated creatures are too much of a headache…_

Tom watched the snake carefully as the creature slithered outside the room, and he sighed. He had already made the decision to leave Bellatrix in prison for a couple of weeks. After all, he had to punish her for her lack of obedience. But at the same time, Tom knew he could not afford to let Bella rot in Azkaban. She was one of the few supporters who followed his orders blindly and still believed in him and in his vision of the wizarding world.

He was still angry because he had not managed to get his hands on Karkaroff and have the pleasure of dealing with him himself. That traitor deserved the worst.

Tom decided to wait for a couple of weeks before liberating Bellatrix. That would give her time to rethink her actions thoroughly. In the meantime, it was time to call for a new meeting with the giants' leaders.

* * *

Lucius tapped nervously on the door and didn't wait for Narcissa's answer to enter.

His wife was facing a large mirror placed in the far corner of the room. She was trying on a new dress robe she had bought for herself the other night, when she had been shopping on the Diagon Alley with her best friends.

Lucius smirked. While he was struggling to keep his family alive, his wife was wasting her time on trifles. _As usual. _

Narcissa observed him in the mirror for a moment.

"Did you tell him?" she asked.

"No," Lucius replied simply.

He could see her smirking in the mirror.

"He'll find out, sooner or later. Better tell him yourself, before the word goes out."

"Narcissa," he drawled, "our days will be numbered if he finds out about what happened at Durmstrang."

"They already are," his wife emphasized. "Bella will tell him eventually."

"Not anytime soon," Lucius said, looking a bit relieved at the thought. "He'll let her stay in Azkaban for a while. If we're lucky enough, by the time he gets her out, your sister's reason will be completely gone, and her word will not matter anymore. I talked to Crabbe and the others. They'll keep their mouths shut. It's in their interest too that the truth about the mass murder of Pureblood students doesn't reach the Dark Lord's ears. As for us, with Bella away from here, we can try again to find Grindelwald."

"First of all, please don't talk about Bella like that. Her allegiance to the Dark Lord has saved our family after you failed to acquire the prophecy for him. And second of all, please stop talking nonsense about that old man."

Lucius sat in an armchair and looked at his wife impatiently.

"I thought we already discussed this. You know just as well as I do that Grindelwald is the only one who can oppose the Dark Lord successfully."

"No, Lucius, I don't know that. Grindelwald is not only an old lunatic, but he's also a very dangerous man. I am glad he's secluded somewhere away from the world."

"Narcissa," Lucius began, but he was cut off by his wife's angry stare.

"Listen, Lucius. That attempt to find Grindelwald's whereabouts could cost us dearly if the others suspected _why_ we are looking for Grindelwald."

"But they are not…"

"I want to save our family as much as you do, and that's why I've done the only thing that could protect Draco, at least."

Lucius sprang from his armchair.

"What are you talking about, Narcissa? What have you done?"

"I went to the only person who really has the power to vanquish the Dark Lord now. He has his trust, and he is powerful enough to kill him if necessary. He's also at Hogwarts most of the time, so he can keep an eye on our dragon."

"You went to see Snape?" Lucius spat incredulously. "Of all people, you went to see Snape?"

"He's the only one who can help us, Lucius," Narcissa said icily.

"Narcissa, Snape is a traitor! How could you do that to me? How could you do this to our family?"

"I went to see him when you were in Azkaban. I was desperate."

Lucius glared at her, speechless.

"But I was right about him. Severus is a good person. He made the vow with me. He'll protect Draco or die."

"Cissy," Lucius said softly, as if he were talking to a child. "All Snape wants is to see me — us — finished. He's always hated me for belonging to an old, Pureblood, wealthy family. He's always been envious of me. No matter how powerful he is, Snape knows he cannot be like me. His purpose was always to take my place and win the Dark Lord's favors. That's what he's always wanted, can't you see?"

"You're paranoid. You're starting to sound like Bella. He made the vow. He'll have to take care of our Draco."

"Yeah, sure. I bet he's done that for some reason of his own and not from the goodness of his heart."

Narcissa came to sit in an armchair next to her husband, and Lucius sat too.

"Do you have any news from Draco?" she asked softly.

"Why don't you go ask Snape?" Lucius said nastily.

"Why don't you just answer my question?"

"He doesn't write to you at all?"

"No, he's mad at me. He says that I'm treating him like a child, and he is not a child anymore."

Lucius gave her a sad smile.

"He doesn't write to me either. I have written to him five letters to ask about his progress with the task the Dark Lord has given him. No answer."

"Great!" Narcissa said bitterly. "What are we going to do?"

"We'll try to come up with something."

"Oh, Lucius, just give up the Grindelwald quest!" she exclaimed. "It will bring us nothing but trouble. The only person we should have on our side is Severus. With Severus we stand better chances to find the Horcruxes and get rid of him."

"I don't trust Snape, Narcissa. He is fascinated by the Dark Lord in a way that I have never been. I was looking for more power, but Snape loves the dark arts more than he loves power. He's a dangerous man. I told you."

Narcissa sighed, and she was silent for a few minutes.

"We'll see which one of us is right in time, Lucius," she finally said. "And speaking of what happened at Durmstrang, at least we know little Liliana is safe. When I saw her in Igor's office, I thought that was the end of her."

"The Dark Lord must not find out that we knew that Igor had a child. He would probably kill her to take his vengeance against her father."

"Poor Lily. She's just a child. What damage could she possibly do to the Dark Lord?"

"You know how paranoid he is. Look at the Potter story," Lucius said.

"Who cares about Potter? Narcissa said with a laugh. "Lily is a different story. I've always liked her. Pureblood, powerful, bold girl. I think she'd be suitable for our dragon when they got older and all this war will be over."

"Women!" Lucius said, exasperated.

"Anyway," Narcissa continued, "with Igor gone, she doesn't have anyone to look out for her. We must bring her here when the war is over."

Lucius nodded and stood up.

"Please write to Draco again," Narcissa whispered. "And tell him I love him…"

Lucius agreed silently and exited the room.

Narcissa went to the window and looked outside thoughtfully. She wanted so much for the war to be over. She and Lucius had been racking their brains for months trying to find a way for their family to leave Voldemort's side unscathed. As much as the Dark Lord did not want to see, things were not going well. Even though she was not very much involved in the Dark Lord's plans and missions, Narcissa knew that negotiations with the giants were not going as planned, the Dementors were not under his absolute control yet, and the Order of the Phoenix was spying on them and intruding in their plans.

Nevertheless, one thing was clear. Even though the wizarding world was still divided by the Dark Lord's return, no one could stop him. No one dared to challenge him. He was immortal, and he was going to stay immortal until somebody had the courage to find his damned Horcruxes, destroy them, and then finally confront him.

* * *

She had been in there for weeks. Bella didn't quite remember how many weeks, because it seemed like an eternity since she'd been thrown back into Azkaban.

_Where are you, milord?_

She had been asking herself the same question every week, every day, every hour, every minute, and every second since she had stepped into the damn cell.

It was a drafty, cold place. It didn't have a window, and therefore Bella could not say whether it was day or night. Her limbs had gone completely numb in the two or three hours following her incarceration.

Physical cold did not matter anymore. Hunger and pain did not matter anymore. Nightmares did not matter anymore.

The only thing that mattered was that her master had not come for her.

Bella had examined all the possibilities and could not come with any reasonable explanation. Was he so mad at her that he had abandoned her?

The thought was unbearable to Bella, for she knew it was probably the truth. She had disobeyed his order by doing much more than her assignment allowed her. He was right to be angry.

Bella knew it would be impossible for her to escape even if she had a wand. She was already too weak because the Dementors had been feeding royally on her despair.

She could not see them, but she knew that they had to be close by, everywhere, outside the walls of her prison, behind the door of the cell, hovering in the deserted corridors. The sound of dying prisoners was driving her mad.

She touched her forehead. Her temples were throbbing in pain. She had not slept in a long time.

"Please change your mind," she whispered pleadingly.

* * *

Two weeks later it happened again. Tom awoke with a start, sweating heavily.

_Nightmare_, he mused. _Impossible_. And the pain in his chest. Searing.

He could not remember what it was all about, but it was bad enough to startle him from his sound sleep.

It was the second time in three weeks' time. Something was wrong.

He stood up and put his black robes on. He grabbed his wand, set off the room alarms, and exited.

When he reached the living room he saw the clock on the mantelpiece indicating the hour: It was past midnight.

Tom took a deep breath and went outside the house for a walk. He needed to clear his mind.

He had finally managed to convince the giants to be on his side in the upcoming war, and he was rather pleased with himself. His influence in the wizarding world was expanding.

Then, suddenly, pain and nightmares. Where could they come from? Tom was rather suspicious about such things. Was the boy getting stronger? Tom smirked. He had closed the connection between him and Harry Potter months ago. It was better like this. He did not need the boy anymore, and he knew the boy was not a real threat to him. He was so weak; he could not even perform an _unforgivable_ curse properly.

Tom knew that there was only real obstacle left in his path: Dumbledore.

_Not for long, old man._

How he hated the old fool! As long as he lived, the mudbloods and the blood traitors felt safe and protected. They knew there was still hope for them.

Tom needed to make sure that hope would be gone soon. He needed to give a powerful blow to the public trust in Dumbledore. He needed to embarrass the old man, to ridicule him. He needed audience. He needed to bring him down in the public eye.

_I have to come up with a plan soon. The old man is weak; I felt how weak he was the last time we confronted each other. He will not stand for long now._

Tom was sick of hearing about Dumbledore and the Chosen One. He knew very well Potter was not ready to face him. With Dumbledore gone, the kid meant nothing.

_We need to infiltrate the Ministry __completely first. Let Hogwarts fall at the end. Add more fireworks to the script. I'll need Bella's input there._

It was time to get her out of Azkaban.

* * *

_Bella made her way through the crowd of Death__ Eaters with great difficulty. She needed to see the Dark Lord closer, to hear his convincing voice, to let his words sink into her memory forever._

_But the other Death Eaters would not let her get to him. She could not see his face from where she stood; still she absorbed his every word._

"_Yes, my friends," Voldemort was saying. "Death can be overcome. And I stand before you tonight as the living proof."_

_Bella pushed fiercely through the crowd and managed to take a few more steps towards him. Then, she was finally able to see her lord._

_He looked like a god, with his tall, lean stature, his dark eyes glittering like precious stones, as he spoke passionately to the crowd. How beautiful and fascinating those eyes were to Bella. She could not stop staring at him, could not breathe…_

The sound of thunder startled her from her wonderful dream. For a moment it had seemed so real, as if she were eighteen again.

But she could not dwell on that dream.

She felt the cold drops of rain touching her body and turned quickly to see how that was possible. There was no window… how come?...

There he stood, the same tall, lean figure, black robes fluttering around him, like the wings of an angel. A dark angel of death and, for a second, Bella thought she was still dreaming. It hadn't been the thunder, but the explosion of the exterior wall of her cell that had awoken her. The Dark Lord stepped in. Behind him, several Dementors were hovering, daring not to come closer, though. The silvery light of his Patronus — a huge snake — was encircling his body, securing him from the Dementors.

"Milord!" Bella exclaimed, throwing herself at his feet. "You came! I knew you wouldn't leave me here to die!"

"Don't be stupid, Bella," he drawled, and with a wave of his hand, he repaired the wall behind him. "You still have work to do for me."

The sound of the heavy rain falling outside the prison walls subsided. Tom threw his broomstick in a corner and dismissed his Patronus.

"Thank you so much for coming for me milord," Bella said. "I…"

"Rise, girl" he cut her off. "I don't have time for this gratitude rubbish. Better tell me why you disobeyed my orders so I shall know whether to leave you here to rot or not."

By his icy tone, Bella knew her master was not in the mood for small talk.

She got up slowly and looked him in the eyes. Though his face was nowhere as handsome as it used to be years ago, he was just as fascinating now as he had been back then.

"Milord, I wanted to bring you more than you assigned me. The circumstances were in our favor. Karkaroff was not properly prepared for the attack, as he had not predicted that the school could be so easily found. We Apparated on the schools grounds and took the culprit by surprise. We cornered him easily. He was in his office."

"Get to the point. I've heard that before," Tom said.

"I wanted to acquire Salazar's sword for you, milord. I knew how much you wanted it. So we started to search his office. And Lucius went to find the map to Grindelwald's whereabouts, but he met some resistance from the students. I went to help him, too.

The students resisted fiercely, so we had to kill them…most of them."

She paused to see the effect of the news on Voldemort's face, but there was none. He looked at her expectantly.

"When I came back to find Karkaroff, he was dead. And there was this girl at his side. She was holding a piece of parchment and Salazar's sword. She ran away, but we managed to track her down with the help of the Dementors. We followed her to…Hogwarts. And then I tried to apprehend her for you, milord."

"And Dumbledore caught you." Tom smirked.

Bella was tempted to nod, but she hesitated. It was humiliating for her to admit that she had been taken down by a sixteen-year-old girl. But she had to tell the Dark Lord the truth.

"You left some details out of your little story, Bella," Tom said icily and pressed two fingers to her forehead. "_Legilimens_!"

Pain seared through the back of her head like a sharp knife.

The Dark Lord could see everything now, as if he were standing next to her when she was giving order to the other Death Eaters to kill all Durmstrang students; as she was torturing Igor Karkaroff to death in his office; as she stayed behind out of her own will to hunt down the Durmstrang girl; as she hit the ground violently and a wand was pointed at her…

Bella managed to sprang free from her master's grip on her mind.

"Let me see!" he ordered, as Bella crawled into a corner, covering her face in horror with her hands.

He reached for her and made her stand. His hand clutched at her neck and raised her a few inches above the ground.

"What are you hiding from me, Bella?" he asked dangerously. "What did you see?"

"Milord, don't make me say it. I think I must be losing my mind."

"I reckon you already have if you think you can hide something from me. Speak! "

"Milord," Bella said, trembling with fear and forcing herself to breathe, "when that girl looked at me…I thought…"

Voldemort glared, tightening his grip around her neck.

"What?"

"I thought … I saw… I saw…YOU, milord!"

Bella suddenly fell heavily to the ground. Voldemort had released her. She inhaled deeply and looked up to see her master resting his forehead against the hard stone wall, breathing as heavily as she was. He seemed to be on the verge of madness.

* * *

It could not be. It simply could not be.

He hit his head hard against the stone wall, hoping he would wake up from the nightmare.

_I saw her dead. I saw both of them dead._

He could see the image in his head as if it were yesterday. He was standing in the middle of the cemetery, with Igor Karkaroff, heavy rain falling around them. The grave was open, and he could see the little body wrapped up in her mother's arms. She had died at birth and that terrible woman had died giving her birth. The danger had been removed. In fact, it had never existed.

There was no other Slytherin.

Could it be that Karkaroff had lied to him? Could it be that Karkaroff had planned this vengeance against him?

Impossible. No one could outsmart Lord Voldemort.

He slowly leaned towards Bella and touched her forehead.

The image of Liliana Karkaroff glaring at Bella, wand in hand, formed itself clearly into his mind.

_Salazar's eyes._

He sunk to his knees, next to Bella, panting, his temples throbbing with unexpected pain. Suddenly all recent nightmares and pains corroborated and, for the first time in seventeen years, an unfamiliar feeling crept inside him: fear.

_It cannot be. It cannot be._

A few minutes passed in silence, while Voldemort stared unseeingly at the wall.

Bella watched him intently. Something was terribly wrong if the Dark Lord was in such a state. She suddenly felt frightened.

"Milord," she asked tentatively, "are you all right?"

Tom got to his feet. He brushed his fingers over his hairless skull. Then he pulled his hood back until his face was completely hidden again.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked.

He seemed recomposed.

Bella stumbled to get up. Tom extended his right hand to her; with his other hand, he pointed his wand at the exterior wall of the cell.

"_Confringo_!" he ordered, and the stone wall exploded again. He summoned his broom and mounted, pulling Bella behind him.

"_Expecto patronum_!" The snake of light encircled both of them protectively as they flew into the rainy night.

Tom's mind was still restless.

_It's not over yet, Karkaroff._

* * *

**A/N **Ok, so there you have it, an insight of the Dark Side. And of course, Tom's in da house...:). At last!

The Nagini scene is one of my best friends' favorites. She is annoyingly persistant so that I would involve Nagini more in the story! Can you believe that?

Cheers!

Chantal


	12. Chapter 12 Part I

**Chapter 12 **

**The Chamber of Secrets - Part I**

Liliana was making her way towards the Slytherin table for breakfast when a now too familiar voice whispered in her ear:

"Grab some food and meet me in the yard near the Gryffindor Tower."

She didn't need to turn around to see who it was, because she already knew. She had spent half the night thinking about how she could get rid of Potter without telling him about the previous night's events when she had saved Dumbledore from a certain death.

The curse had been broken thanks to its counter course and a drop of blood she had inherited from her famous ancestor, Salazar Slytherin. Many years ago Voldemort had apparently used his own blood to create effective curses against those who would have dared to touch his Horcruxes. And he, himself, could not have stopped the curse from doing its job, because Harry Potter's blood — rather than his own — was running through his veins.

_Funny how things turn out__, _she mused as she threw Potter an annoyed look over her right shoulder. It was pointless to look though, since he was probably wearing his Invisibility cloak.

Apparently, there was no way she could avoid him for the rest of the day, so Liliana decided to do as told for the moment and come up with a plausible excuse later on, when they would be alone in the inner yard.

She made her way around the Slytherin table, managing to gather up some toast, marmalade, milk, and pumpkin juice before she found herself face to face with Draco.

He frowned at her, hands in the pockets of his robes.

"It is forbidden to take food outside this room, Miss Karkaroff," he said mockingly.

"Oh, I am so sorry, Mr. Prefect," she replied in the same tone. "I didn't realize that."

"Come on, Liliana, sit down. Where do you think you're going?"

_Why can't you sleep longer__ in the morning, Draco? _

She managed a smile. "I need to go back to my room and practice a new spell I want to show you tonight. I'll eat there."

Malfoy's eyes lit up with interest. Liliana was amused to see how easily she had managed to ease his suspicions. "All right, go practice, but don't be late for class," Draco said, taking a seat at the table.

"I won't!" Liliana promised and made her way out of the Great Hall at top speed.

_Damn it, rules __at Hogwarts are annoying. I need an invisibility cloak like Potter's._

She easily found the yard Potter had told her about. He was already waiting for her there.

"Potter, when you said tomorrow _morning_, I didn't think you actually meant that. We can talk later."

"Better sooner than later," Harry said, opening his school bag and taking a napkin and some food he had managed to sneak from the kitchens with Dobby's help.

"You almost got me into trouble with Draco," she said in an accusing tone, setting the food she had brought with her on the napkin. "How do you know this yard is safe?"

"It's deserted, normally. I think we can talk unhindered until class begins."

Liliana stared disconcertedly at Potter. There was something about him this morning that unsettled her. He was very cool and casual, and she knew that wasn't exactly Potter's style. He was wearing his uniform, but his tie was loosened; rebellious locks of jet-black hair hung over his bright green eyes. The contrast was amazing.

She dropped her gaze and took of sip of pumpkin juice.

"Though the very thought of getting you into trouble with your…prefect is rather appealing to me, that is not why I told you to come here, Karkaroff," Harry began, buttering a piece of toast. "I want to know what happened last night in Dumbledore's office. You made a promise, and you cannot back away from it."

_Merlin, he's annoying__. Why can't he just give up this cat and mouse game and leave me alone?_ Liliana asked herself.

"Look, Potter, I told you that there are some things that really _do not concern_ _you_. Why can't you just give up? I know you are used to being the centre of the Universe, but this really, really doesn't concern you," she pleaded.

"You promised, Karkaroff. You either choose to tell me what happened or take the other option I am willing to offer you," Harry said, an evil grin twitching his lips.

"What other option?"

"I get to ask you five other questions."

"Referring to…?"

"The life and lies of Liliana Karkaroff," Harry replied to a stunned Liliana.

God, the girl was priceless, Harry thought, watching Liliana's cheeks flushing with anger. He almost enjoyed making her mad. She was prettier when she was angry. Her almond-shaped eyes, with their almost unnatural shade of green, as if a drop of blue had slipped into an emerald, were reduced dangerously to slits.

"I can't believe the nerve you have!" she said. "What makes you think I will answer your damned questions anyway?"

"That was our understanding, Karkaroff. You wouldn't be coward enough to go back on your promise, would you? That would be low, even for a Slytherin. And I was kind enough to give you an alternative…"

Liliana meditated for a second, and she concluded that there might be some advantages to answering Potter's questions after all.

"Fine, Potter!" she finally snapped. "Ask your damn questions and let's get it over with."

Harry hid his smile and took a bite of his toast to prolong the suspense; he was just about to respond to Karkaroff's demand when he saw Filch walking through the stone passageway leading to their yard. He had not seen them yet, but disaster was soon to strike.

"Damn, Filch is coming," he whispered.

Liliana glanced back in horror.

"If Draco hears about me being here with you, Potter, I swear, I'll…"

"Shut up, already. We need to hide…"

"Don't be ridiculous. We're not going anywhere."

She drew her wand out of her pocket and aimed at a spot just behind Filch.

"_Reducto_!" she whispered.

An ornament carved in stone fell just behind Filch. He turned to investigate it and then returned through the passage way, forgetting about his prior destination.

"You could have hurt him!" Harry hissed. "What were you thinking?"

"But I didn't, did I?" she shot back, smugly. "Besides, we would have taken him to the hospital wing in case that had happened."

"There's no way I would ruin my breakfast with you to rush Filch to the hospital wing."

Harry almost clasped his hand over his mouth. It was too late though. He had meant it as a joke, but his tone had been too serious to make it actually sound like a joke.

Liliana eyed him cautiously.

"If we could resume our previous conversation…" she said.

Harry cleared his throat.

"Yeah, the questions. Let's see…" he trailed, taking a mouthful of his freshly buttered toast, to Liliana's desperation. "Maybe you should eat something, too, Karkaroff. Here, take some apple pie!"

She accepted his offering a bit unwillingly and took a bite.

"Shoot! We don't have all day!" she rushed him.

"What happened at Durmstrang that made Bellatrix and the Death Eaters follow you to Hogwarts? Why were they so angry with you?"

Liliana looked at him thoughtfully. She seemed to hesitate for a moment before answering.

"As Dumbledore told you the night I arrived, the Death Eaters committed mass murder at Durmstrang. They had come to find the headmaster…my father and bring him before Voldemort. They tortured him to death. I got to his office in time to…see him dying."

Harry watched Liliana wincing in pain, and he mentally kicked himself for making her relive those moments. Hermione had been so wrong. Liliana had been suffering terribly over her father's death, but she was struggling to hide her pain. She had managed to bury her pain deep inside herself, repressing the feelings, not letting go of her anger. Moreover, the vengeance she had taken against Bellatrix apparently had not helped her ease the pain inside.

Liliana struggled to keep a calm composure, but it took her all her strength to do so.

"The Death Eaters returned to the headmaster's office exactly when he was giving me the letter for Dumbledore. I was also carrying Salazar's sword. They had also come to get the sword. It is a very powerful instrument."

"Like the Godric Gryffindor's sword." Harry remembered Liliana using Salazar's sword to fight Nagini.

"Probably," she said. "All I know is that Salazar had this sword made by the Goblins because he thought Godric would sooner or later use his own against him."

"That's ridiculous," Harry said. "Godric Gryffindor would never do such a thing. He was no backstabber. He was honorable and brave. Unlike others!" he added.

She ignored him. "They followed me because of the letter and the sword. Also, I guess they didn't want any survivors."

She bit back her lip, and stared unseeingly into space.

Harry thought it was time to ask his next question to distract her. He was too tempted to lean towards her and caress her cheek, to soothe her.

"Why were you not sorted into a house when you got here? All students are sorted. "

"I am not sure why," she said mildly. "I know Professor Snape asked Dumbledore to put me in Slytherin. But there's another reason I can guess. I am a descendant of Salazar Slytherin."

She said the last words with no small amount of pride.

"I thought Voldemort was the last heir of Salazar Slytherin."

She didn't make any comment to his assertion.

"All right, third question," Harry said, a bit disappointed by her obvious lack of cooperation. "Why is Snape such a mother hen when it comes to you? He doesn't normally act like that."

"Come on, Potter, you really don't expect me to comment on Snape's social skills! I don't know the answer to your question."

When Harry glared at her, she added:

"I think he wants to protect me because I tend to be impulsive and constantly risk my life. It's a sort of a tribute to Igor. They used to be friends."

"Why is he teaching you _Legilimency_?" Harry continued his questions.

Liliana felt Harry was getting closer to the kind of discussions she really did not want to have with him. She finished her apple pie, while Potter looked at her curiously.

"He is training me. I must learn to read peoples' minds."

"Come on, Karkaroff, that is the very definition of _Legilimency_. You know what I want to hear."

She sighed, and then she finally answered.

"Fine, I might need to _legilimens_ Death Eaters and…Voldemort one day. I need to be ready. "

Harry couldn't suppress a chuckle.

"_Legilimens_ Voldemort? That's ridiculous. He's the one who practices _legilimency_ on others!"

"I told you the truth, Potter," she said, shrugging.

Harry became serious. He sensed he was getting closer to solving parts of the mystery surrounding Liliana.

"Do you know if you are to play an important part in the war against Voldemort?"

"I sure hope so, Potter," she said, her eyes darkening considerably. "I've been training my whole life to get back at him."

For a split second, Harry's heart stopped. His worst fears were confirmed. Dumbledore wanted him out of the war. And Harry was to be replaced by this girl.

He was the Chosen One. It was his right to kill Voldemort. There was a prophecy. No one could question Harry's role in the upcoming war — not Dumbledore, not Snape, and under no circumstances Liliana Karkaroff.

"I don't know what your problem is with Voldemort, but don't think you're the only one who wants to confront him," he said coldly.

She did not honor his words with any comment and stood up.

"I believe our meeting is over, Potter," she concluded, swinging her book bag over her shoulder.

"Wait," he said. "There's no reason to leave so early. We still have another half an hour until class. Let's finish breakfast."

She looked at him hesitantly.

"I am not going to ask you anymore questions," he said. "Just sit down."

Liliana let her bag drop to the ground and sat face to face with Potter. She took a glass and poured some pumpkin juice for herself. Then she looked around anxiously.

"What if Filch comes back?" she asked.

Harry could not help it: "You'll hex him into oblivion, and we'll continue our breakfast unhindered. You are rather good at it." There was no sneer in his voice, so Liliana eyed him curiously.

"Sometimes I wish had the appetite the Slytherins have for breaking the rules," he cleared up.

"Despite what you might think of me, I am not breaking the rules only for the sake of having something to do. I am just eluding rules that are simply idiotic or completely useless. For example, what's the deal if we eat here and not in the Great Hall? Why are at least a half of the rooms in the castle forbidden to students? I bet there's nothing dangerous in them," she argued. "I bet Filch is inventing most of these rules."

"Too bad you weren't here last year, Karkaroff," Harry said with a smirk. "It was the best time for breaking the rules. There was this woman, Umbridge, sent by the Ministry to gradually replace Dumbledore. She and Filch had control over the school for a few months. She wasn't teaching us anything in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Instead she took control of the school and began threatening the teachers and dismissing them, unfairly punishing students, setting up inquisitorial squads – in which, I must say, the Slytherins did rather well – and all students' gatherings were forbidden."

"Dolores Umbridge?" she commented. "I remember reading something in _The Prophet_ about her. She's back at the Ministry, isn't she? She was even promoted. She was not found guilty of any charges."

"She has important friends at the Ministry," Harry said discontentedly.

"So what did you do about it?" she asked, feeding some bread to an owl that had landed near them.

"Well, Ron, Hermione, and I started Dumbledore's Army," Harry said. "I started to teach some students who were wiling to learn from my experience with using DADA spells."

Liliana hid her smile. For the last ten days she and Draco had been training in the Room of Requirement, which Draco had managed to find. Liliana had found it quite handy, but she did not feel quite safe in it. Anyone in desperate need would find it or could spy on them and find them practicing dark, as well as defensive spells. Therefore, Liliana was keen about finding some other place to practice.

"And?" she asked. More birds had landed now around them to be fed.

"And one day they found us while we were training in the Room of Requirement," Harry said frowning. "You imagine what happened next."

"I'd rather not. I bet she is a very cruel person, this Umbridge woman."

"She is," Harry acknowledged in the same tone.

Strangely enough, at that very moment, Liliana's eyes came to rest on Harry's right hand. Some of the scars Harry had got while writing with Umbridge's enchanted quill were still visible. Madam Pomfrey had done all she could to heal the bruises, but Umbridges's spell on the quill being quite close to a dark spell had left durable traces.

"Where did you get those scars?" she asked knowingly.

"Detention with Umbridge." Harry smiled weakly. "They cannot be completely healed."

Liliana leaned forward and took his hand gently so she could examine his scars.

"Even wounds caused by dark spells can be healed. But very few people know how," she said, tracing the scars absent-mindedly with her thumb. Harry's breath caught in his throat. He didn't say anything, not trusting himself to speak that very moment. He had been close to Cho the previous year. They had kissed, but it had been nothing like the emotions swirling in his chest right now. It was frightening and exhilarating at the same time. It made him want to run away promptly from her and pull Liliana into his arms at the same time. _Tricky feelings._

"But you have to tell me exactly what caused them," she said, releasing his hand and returning to feeding the birds.

Harry blinked and finally managed to speak: "She had an enchanted quill. Made us write with it."

Liliana raised an eyebrow. "Really? Well, it was a common way to punish students in the Middle Ages. At Durmstrang. As well as in other schools."

"What?" Harry asked revolted.

"Among other methods. Such as _Transfiguration_. _Transfiguration_ is still used at Durmstrang," she said, shrugging. "Of course, things have changed since those times…"

"You don't seem to care too much," Harry said in an almost accusing tone.

"I had my fair share of punishments and detentions. It's nothing new to me. I kept breaking the rules at Durmstrang. And Igor was never kinder to me because I was his daughter; he never gave me special treatment."

Harry saw her frowning.

"For example, when I got kicked off of the Quidditch team, he had me locked for two weeks in the castle dungeons."

"Why did you get kicked out of the team?"

"I… well I kind of attacked a Seeker during a game. It was not my first fault. It was Karkaroff who decided I would never play again."

"When was that?"

"Two years ago."

Harry had promised her he would not ask her anymore personal questions, but he could not abstain, since he had been the subject of such an attack just the day before: "Why did you attack him in the first place?"

"I didn't want to attack him. I was simply after the Snitch. I got it before he could, and he tried to take it from me forcibly. So we fought; and because he was stronger, he managed to push me off my broom. I fell pretty badly, so when I got to my feet I hexed him. They could not heal his burns for a week." Liliana had a little smile on her lips, a sign that the animosity between her and the other Seeker was far from over. "So I was banned from Quidditch. They said hexing people was not in the spirit of the sport."

"Dumbledore doesn't know about that, does he? He wouldn't allow you to play."

"No one knows, except you, Potter. This is why now I'll have to kill you."

She pointed her wand at him playfully.

"Have you even used _that_ spell before?" Harry asked.

"Of course I have," she said, almost defensively.

Harry smiled. He did not believe her. "I bet you never used it. You'll need to use it if you want to take your vengeance against Voldemort."

"Are you trying to ask me if I am ready to use it? I know the spell, Potter. And I felt ready when I took down Lestrange."

"Voldemort is not Lestrange. It takes more strength than that."

"Maybe, but I think I am ready nevertheless. Are you? You're the Chosen One after all."

Harry did not answer. He was not ready to give a straight answer to that question, which was also bothering him. But he would not admit that to Karkaroff.

"Why did you tell me the truth when I asked you those five questions?" he asked instead.

She looked thoughtfully at him. She needed to gain Potter's confidence to be sure he would leave her alone from now on. "It was time to end this state of rivalry between us," she said. "You were intrigued. Now you have your answers. I really think we should go." Harry nodded, and she said a quick spell to make the food disappear.

"I'll find a spell to heal your hand properly," she promised, swinging her bag over her shoulder.

"Wait, Karkaroff," Harry said, standing and grabbing his own bag. She turned so she could face him again. Their first real talk had gone pretty well and Harry couldn't help grinning.

"Maybe we should do that again," he said.

"Do what?" she asked.

"Meet again."

"No, thanks, Potter. You're a Gryffindor, and I'm a Slytherin. We shouldn't push our luck further!" But as she said that, she gave him a dazzling smile that left Harry in awe.

* * *

At dinner time, Liliana sat with Draco at their table. Though Madam Pomfrey had healed his leg, Draco was still reluctant to get back on the Quidditch pitch. Liliana needed to talk to him. She had not managed since the accident, because Draco seemed rather unwilling to have a serious conversation with her.

This was the first time she had actually gained his attention by asking him if he was ready to practice the Wronski feint.

"What do you mean?" Draco asked her, his beautiful grey eyes wide with wonder. "I thought you should be our Seeker after your "performance" the yesterday. You're far better than I am. I bet the others would go for it."

"Is that why you've been avoiding me, Malfoy?" she asked him, holding back a smile.

"No, of course not… And as a matter of fact, I have not been avoiding you. Whatever gave you that idea?"

"Come on, Draco, it's _me_ you're talking to."

Draco scowled.

"So, you're not planning to switch to Seeker, are you?"

"Malfoy, believe me when I say that Beater suits me much better. You'll see."

"Hardly. You could be a very good Seeker. I loved the way you crushed on Potter."

"Well, that's a one-time strategy. How many times do you think Potter will fall for that one? And to tell you the truth, he's a far better Seeker than I am. He's a natural talent."

"Thanks for the encouragement, Liliana," Draco said sulkily.

"You could be just as good as him, if you just let go of your fears. I saw you fly. You are a great flyer."

"I can't even pull that Wronski feint. You saw how Potty played me."

"You can, and you will," she assured him. "Tonight, after training, we'll take a tour around the Quidditch pitch. We'll practice together. "

"Thanks," Malfoy said and looked towards the Gryffindor table. He met Harry's eyes, and then Harry looked away quickly.

"Why is that idiot _always_ spying on me?" Draco spat. "He's been following me since the beginning of the year. I punched his nasty face on the Hogwarts Express, and he's stalked me ever since. Just because he's Harry the-boy-who-lived-to-be-an-idiot Potter, he thinks he has a moral duty to spy on us. To hell with this, I'm going there to smash his ugly…"

Malfoy wanted to get up, but Liliana rested a hand on his arm. "Calm down, Draco. Let him be. We have too many eyes on us already. There's no need to make more waves than necessary."

As she spoke, she cast Dumbledore a long look. He was busy speaking to Flitwick.

"If they find out about the Room of Requirement, we're both going to be expelled," she whispered in his ear.

Malfoy grunted.

"Fine, but only this time. Anyway, if they expel us, you'll come with me to the manor."

"I'll get killed as soon as I set foot in there. Come on, Draco, be realistic. I cannot leave Hogwarts yet. Neither of us can. We need to train, and there is no better place to do that. But we need to find a safe location ASAP."

"I don't see where."

"I don't know. How about the Forbidden Forest?"

"There are werewolves and other creatures you'd never want to meet, trust me." Draco shivered at the very thought.

"We need to find something quickly," she concluded, starting on her roast chicken.

"Speaking of eyes on us, Snape is giving me a very hard time. He's tried to corner me a few times to find out what my task from the Dark Lord is."

"Really? Curious, is he?" she said, moving her eyes from Dumbledore to Snape.

"I have a nasty feeling the bastard knows about the task. I think he wants me to fail, so I won't be able to restore the prestige of my family. He likes to be the Dark Lord's favorite, doesn't he?"

"Is there absolutely no way I could convince you that Snape is on Dumbledore's side, Draco?"

"If he is, he is as good as dead. The Dark Lord cannot be fooled for long."

"You might be wrong. Snape has managed to maintain Voldemort's trust for a long time."

"Anyway, he even tried to _legilimens_ me yesterday. But I was able to push him out of my mind."

Liliana gave him a smug smile: "Well done. Told you, Draco. The main difference between a pure-blood wizard and a half-blood or a Muggle-born is that pure-bloods will always have natural, raw power. No matter how much Dumbledore and others talk about blood equity, such thing does not exist. There's a qualitative difference that will always be there. Severus Snape is a very good wizard, but he'll always remain a half-blood. He'll never get into your mind unless you let him."

"You speak like my father. Except he hates mudbloods."

"I have nothing against Muggle-borns," she declared. "But you'll agree with me in a few years when I tell you that your pure blood is the source of your magical strength, as well as the premises for unlimited knowledge and use of your power."

"I don't disagree with you anyway, Karkaroff. You have made me want to do not what was expected of me, but what _I_ want to do. You've made me see that I, alone, am the master of my destiny."

"Have you already made up your mind, Draco? I thought you needed some time to think about it. You should not rush into things, if you are not decided."

"I have not made my choice yet," Draco said.

"But what you just said…"

"I can't believe it!" Draco interrupted her, glaring past her shoulder. "He keeps staring at us."

Liliana slowly turned to see Harry. When their eyes met awkwardly, she knew something had changed in Harry's attitude towards her. A warm smile curled up his lips, and he continued to look at her with unabashed insistence. A small sigh of exasperation escaped her. She had talked to Potter so that he would quit spying on her and Draco. Their activities had recently exceeded the limits of legality, since the two of them had been training every night in the Room of Requirement. She was keen on continuing the special training she had received at Durmstrang, and she had also taken upon herself to teach Draco advanced magic. Though their goal was the same – to kill Voldemort — the reasons behind the goal were different: while Draco wanted to protect his family, Liliana wanted revenge.

They had known each other for many years, and they had been sharing their secrets since they were children, making vows that they would never tell others what they knew about each other. Draco was the only one who knew about her secret heritage. Liliana used to visit Malfoy Manor during summer holidays with Igor. While they were growing up, their parents were trying to forget Voldemort was still alive and denying that they were afraid he would be back one day. But when Liliana and Draco had reached the age of fourteen, the signs of Voldemort's return had been multiplying rapidly. Igor had panicked and never allowed Liliana to set foot outside Durmstrang again until the day when Durmstrang had been attacked by the Death Eaters.

During her fifth year at the Institute, Igor had been traveling most of the time, knowing that Voldemort would be looking for him. He had returned to Durmstrang from time to time, only to give instructions about Liliana's training to his sister, Olga, who was also a professor at the Institute. Liliana had been spending most of her fifth year practicing the _unforgivables_, some of the spells the hit wizards and the Aurors used, and the some dark spells which inflicted terrible injuries on the opponent in case of a duel. But most importantly, Liliana had been practicing her own spells. Her magic was far beyond the level of a sixteen-year-old, so she knew she had to be cautious about her abilities. Igor had been very clear about that since she was a child. Nobody except him and his sister had to know about her special training.

Liliana vaguely returned Harry's smile and turned to face Draco again. She tried to ignore the unsettling flutter of nerves in her stomach. Though Liliana still thought Harry was rather annoying, she was a bit preoccupied with his fate. The thought that this young wizard would be sacrificed by the very people who played the most important part in his life, so that Voldemort could finally face death, was unbearable to Liliana. The whole situation was so unjust and cruel! Though she had told Dumbledore and Snape that Harry Potter was not her problem, Liliana knew she had to try to find a solution to avoid Harry's sacrifice.

"We have to be careful about this guy. He's particularly nosy," she replied absentmindedly.

"Tell me about it," Draco stated and looked at her expectantly. "So, are you ready? I have some ideas for tonight's exercise. And I have something to talk to you about."

"Let's get going, then. Clock is ticking."

They got up and left the Great Hall together. As they passed by Blaise Zabini, who was sitting with Crabbe and Goyle at the table, Draco couldn't help noticing the dark look in his best mate's eyes. Draco thought he understood the reasons behind Zabini's state of spirit. He had been so busy training or simply spending time with Liliana that he had hardly found the time to hang around with his three companions anymore.

Though he was not ready to admit it to Liliana, he had secretly made his choice not to go on with the task the Dark Lord had entrusted him with. And to survive his master's fury and save his family, Draco needed to find other allies.

During their first training, they had talked for hours in the Room of Requirement, analyzing their situation. He had already showed her the letter from his father encouraging him to go on with his task, which was to kill Dumbledore. Though Draco liked to think that Voldemort had given him this mission because he thought he was capable of it, Draco was no fool. He had figured out by now that Liliana had no reason to lie to him. She thought that Voldemort had entrusted him with such a risky task just to humiliate the Malfoys further and to use Draco as a blackmail tool against his parents.

Draco had been reluctant to believe Liliana's theory at first, but he had finally conceded. He had noticed on different occasions that the girl had an outstanding sixth sense about dangerous situations and people's hidden intentions. Her understanding of Voldemort's actions was almost frightening.

As they entered the Room of Requirement, he saw that it was not furnished, except for a few chairs on which they placed their heavy book bags.

"So, you said you had something on your mind," Liliana said.

"I have more than one thing on my mind," he said playfully. "But I'll talk about that later. I want to practice with you the _Patronus charm_."

"Your Patronus is quite all right, Draco," she pointed out.

"If I ever need to get my parents out of Azkaban, I'll have to be very good with the _Patronus charm_."

"There are a little more than a thousand Dementors guarding the prison. Or so I heard. No one can get past them."

"I have to make my _Patronus_ stronger," he argued. "And you are wrong. Someone _did_ get past them. How do you think my father was freed?"

"I thought Voldemort took some of the Death Eaters with him to hold the Dementors back."

"No sane Death Eater would get anywhere near Azkaban. The Dark Lord went alone to free my father in September."

Liliana's felt her heart speed up against her better will.

"He did?" she asked, glancing nervously at Draco's profile.

Malfoy had already drawn his wand and was expecting her directions.

"Fine," she said, trying to banish from her mind any thoughts of Voldemort conjuring his _Patronus_ against a thousand Dementors. "You don't need to hear the theory again from me. You need to concentrate on your happy memory and say the spell distinctly."

Draco closed his eyes for a second and pointing his wand randomly he said, "_Expecto patronum_!" A silver eagle made the tour of the room. Its light was powerful, but it died soon, and Draco sighed in frustration.

"You see what the problem is? I can't hold on to it. It's a very tiring thing. It takes all my energy."

Liliana smiled and moved behind Draco. "You need to relax. Many teachers say the _Patronus_ charm is about concentration. They say you need to concentrate all your energy on that memory." She placed her hand on Draco's wand hand and her other arm around his waist. "I say different. You need to relax. Let the energy flow through you. You do not need to let it out; you need to keep it within yourself. The memory will be just a projection of the energy inside. That's all."

Draco relaxed, thinking about the day his parents had celebrated his eleventh birthday. He had felt like the king of the wizarding world. And now he felt just as good as he had back then, with his best friend's comforting energy around him. Liliana's magic was somehow completing his own, making things so much easier. Before even realizing, he said the spell aloud and the eagle sprang again from the tip of his wand, circling the entire room. Draco opened his eyes and watched it diving around them. It was so powerful, filling the dark room with silver bright light. And this time around, the spell had demanded minimum effort from him.

Liliana closed her eyes and let go of Draco's hand. "Beautiful isn't it? And it's not so tiring anymore." She drew her wand, said the spell, and a dragon burst to life, while Liliana's thoughts wandered back to her childhood.

_She was back __in Sweden, riding her baby dragon again. Enjoying the freedom. Loving the feel of the wind sweeping through her hair. Being so alive. The forest behind them, the sea ahead. _Greenfire_ set free from her confines. Liliana knew she would be severely punished for freeing the dragon, but she didn't care. It would be long before the teachers found them. _

Her happiest memory. She did not have many to choose from anyway. She let her hand fall, and the _Patronus_ returned obediently to her before dissolving into thin air. The eagle was still circling the room proudly. Draco felt Liliana let go of him and moving away. He dismissed his own _Patronus_.

"Now all you need is regular practice," she said. "Nobody talks about it, because they want to think that magic is more about talent and skills. But reality is cruel. It's more about practice than anything else. No matter how powerful your magic is, no matter how pure your blood might be, practice is important."

"You think that is why Granger is better than anyone else in this school, even if she's a mudblood?"

"Many half-bloods and Muggle-borns want to prove themselves. The pure-bloods tend sometimes to be lazy and self-indulgent. But you cannot afford to be self-indulgent just because you are a pure-blood. Each and every one of us needs to surpass his or her magical limitations."

"I know," Draco said. "That's why I'm here."

"No, you're here to attain your goal, Draco," Liliana said and put away her wand. "We'll continue tomorrow with the _Imperius _curse. Now let's talk."

One moment later, the room had changed configuration. There was a large couch in front of a fireplace that had appeared on the wall opposite them. Liliana crawled on the couch with her legs under her, and Draco sat beside her. He looked troubled again.

"I don't want to get you worried you for nothing, but I received an owl from father this morning. He said Voldemort had found out about you escaping the Death Eaters and about Bella being in prison the same day the events happened. He also said the Dark Lord did not want to get Bella out of Azkaban because he wanted to punish her. But this morning when father knocked on Dark Lord's door, he wasn't in his rooms. He suspects he went for Bella. "

Draco watched Liliana closely, trying to spot a reaction to his words. There was none. The girl was looking absentmindedly at the red flames in the fireplace. He continued: "Father purposely omitted the part you had played in Bella's capture. But if the Dark Lord went to fetch Bella, it's just a matter of time before he finds out the truth."

"When are you going to call him _Voldemort_, Draco?" Liliana asked in a harsh tone. "Just say his name, for Merlin's sake."

"Sorry," Draco muttered. "I need to get used to that. You know the Death Eaters never dare to say his name. No one says Voldemort's name except for the Dream Team and some other fools like Dumbledore who aren't afraid of him or pretend they are not. I think they're lunatics, if they are not afraid of him."

"Why, thanks, Draco," Liliana said, smiling mockingly.

"That's not what I meant. You will be better than Voldemort soon. Hey, I said it! I actually said his name!"

"There you go. You see, nothing happened."

"I think you already are better than him. You are the true, pure-blood heir of Slytherin, after all. And you have begun your training much earlier than the average wizard. You'll be ready to face him soon enough. The things you have shown me over the past few days…I never thought I could do them."

Liliana turned to face him. Her eyes glittered in the firelight. "There aren't limitations to magical skills, Draco. If I survive Voldemort, be sure that I'll do everything in my power to prove that," she said very seriously.

"What do you mean by that?" Draco asked, frowning.

"What I mean is that one day we won't be needing a wand to perform spells. One day we'll be able to fly without a broom. We shall not use spells to do whatever we need. One day, death will be conquered. I believe the power lies in us. Wizards are special, Draco. We have unexploited powers. Think of when we were young and we were doing magic without a wand, without spells, without even being aware that it was magic."

Draco rested his head on his arm, considering her words. "I turned one of father's peacocks into a snake when I was four. I didn't even know that it was Transfiguration back then. Now I am not sure I can do it properly in class."

Liliana's face lit up: "You see? We tend to restrain our magic instead of letting it develop."

"You might be right. But do you really think we will defeat Voldemort?"

"I know our time is limited now," she whispered. "Dumbledore seems to think we have all the time in the world. Sometimes I wonder if it's not just an act. I wonder if he's not playing me like he's playing Harry Potter."

"What? You think Dumbledore is playing Potter?" Draco gaped.

Liliana looked anxiously into the flames. "You know Potter shouldn't be blamed for Dumbledore's and the Ministry's incapacity to handle Voldemort," she added, when she noticed Draco's sneer.

"You're kidding, right? Potter's the biggest dork I've ever known. He thinks he's such a hotshot, always the centre of everyone's attention."

"Potter dislikes that attention. It's unwanted attention to him," she said, still looking away.

"Come on, Liliana, you do not actually _mean_ that," Draco said. "He loves playing hero. He loves being _Harry Potter, the Boy who Lived_. It's disgusting the way he takes advantage of his name to do whatever he pleases."

"Don't be absurd, Draco. You know you are exaggerating," Liliana said. She wished Draco would drop the subject before she had to defend Potter further. But Draco already had his suspicions.

"Wait a second. Why are we even talking about that idiot?" he asked snidely. "And why are you defending him all of a sudden?"

"I am not defending him," she answered. "Come on, we need to go before Filch starts his patrolling." She wanted to stand up, but Draco grabbed her hand. "I just realized something," he said. "Potter was not staring at me tonight. It was _you_ he was staring at. I should have thought that big smile of his was not directed at me! Come to think of it, I would be very worried if it were directed at _me_. Stupid git!"

_Finally got it, eh, Draco? _Liliana thought. _Men and their egos. How ludicrous._

"Stop blithering, Draco," she admonished him. "We'd better go."

Malfoy decided to drop the subject for the moment. He was afraid Liliana would get mad at him and would not teach him the Wronski feint. But he was quite convinced something had been going on with Liliana and Potter right under his nose. As they left the Room of Requirement carefully and walked towards the Quidditch pitch, Draco started to put things together. Potter coming to their table. When had Potter dared to approach the Slytherins like that? Potter and Liliana working together in Potions. Draco had noticed how flustered both of them were at the end of Slughourn's class, but he had thought that it must have been the old Slytherin-Gryffindor rivalry. The damn match, when at the end, after slamming into the ground, it had taken Potter like half an hour to peel himself off Liliana. _Merlin, was I blind, Draco_ thought. Next, while she was unlocking with a spell the broom closet in their changing rooms, he wondered if Potter's feelings were returned and almost laughed out loud. There was no way Liliana would be attracted to that miserable Gryffindor half-blood.

"There you go," she said, throwing him a Nimbus 2000 and taking another broom for herself. Draco caught the broomstick and analysed it with a disgusted look. "Such crap," he declared.

"Maybe we should go shopping for brooms next Sunday," she said playfully, "I owe Goyle a Nimbus 2001 because I destroyed his during the game. I will buy two Firebolts for us and you can give him your old broom."

"You'd do that for me?" Draco asked happily. "Father's been really careful with money lately. They confiscated a part of our fortune when they threw father into Azkaban. But are you sure you can afford that? Firebolts are quite expensive, you know."

"We'll go on Saturday to Diagon Alley and do some shopping," she promised. "And don't worry about me. I inherited a part of Igor's fortune, and don't forget that the Slytherin fortune will be all mine when I reveal my identity."

"Well done, Karkaroff."

"Git!" she said and slammed shut the door of the broom closet before kicking off. "Come on, you don't need to ride a Firebolt to do the Wronski feint."

Draco swung his leg over his own broom and kicked off. They circled the pitch several times to warm up. Liliana admired Draco's elegant moves again.

"You sure have style, Malfoy," she commented appreciatively, as Draco passed her by. "Now, on my count of three, we are going to dive, and you're not going to pull up until I say so."

He nodded and positioned himself beside Liliana.

She counted to three, and they both dived at full speed towards the ground. Draco tried to ignore the panic rising progressively in his chest, the rush of blood in his veins, as they closed the distance to the ground. His fingers gripped the handle of the broom so tightly that his nails dug into the flesh of his palms and his hands were actually hurting. He tried to align himself with the broom to reduce air friction, but he just could not do it. He was too scared to make a move. He sneaked a glance at Liliana. Her body was perfectly aligned with the broom, her hands almost relaxed. Her composure showed that she was actually enjoying the crazy descent. They were now less than ten feet away from the ground, and she did not seem to have any intention to pull up. Draco couldn't help it. He pulled up, too scared to repeat the experience he had with Potter during their last game. When he steadied himself, he noticed Liliana beneath him, pulling effortlessly at her broom one meter above the ground. He cursed inwardly and descended towards her.

"Why did you pull up, Draco? I didn't tell you to do so. You'll never succeed like that," she said. "Let's try again."

The ascended towards the skies and tried the same moves several times, but each time Draco was too scared to get that close to hitting the ground. When he finally pulled up at Liliana's signal, he wasn't quick enough and he hit the ground pretty badly. He was unharmed though.

"I'm beginning to see the problem," Liliana said thoughtfully, as she helped Draco up.

She mounted her broom again, and they kicked off. She circled the pitch once to let Draco relax, and then she stopped for Draco to catch up with her.

"I don't feel so good," she said almost conversationally, when Draco hovered at her side.

He looked at her, worried. "Maybe we should go back to the castle."

Liliana touched her forehead and closed her eyes. Draco extended his right hand to steady her, but before he had a chance to do anything, she slid off her broom and she was falling. And falling.

Draco did not hear his own scream. He dived and forgot about everything. The distance, the speed, the ground. Liliana would die if he did not catch her in time.

He aligned himself with the broom instinctively to catch more speed, but she was still out of reach. He closed in the distance between them with great difficulty and managed to wrap an arm around her and pull her up against himself a few feet above the ground. He pulled at his broomstick at the last moment. Two seconds later, they would have slammed into the ground. He tried to steady himself and breathe. He was still trembling when he met Liliana's eyes, wide open and filled with evident amusement.

What? _Amusement_?

"What are you smiling for?" he scowled. "You would have died if I hadn't caught you."

"And you managed to do a perfect Wronski feint, Malfoy," she pointed out, pulling herself out of Draco's tensed embrace. "You see? Now that you know you can do it, you just need to practice. I believe that Potter will have quite a surprise during your next game."

"Karkaroff, has anyone told you just how mad you are? You let yourself fall off the damn broom just to show me I could execute a Wronski feint if I had to?"

"Kind of," she replied.

"What if I couldn't have caught you? Or if I just couldn't have pulled up in time?"

"Don't be silly, Draco. I trust you! I also know plenty of spells that can stop or slow down a person falling."

"I don't like the way you played me, Karkaroff. You scared me to death," Draco said, and without further notice, he grabbed his broom and left the Quidditch pitch.

"I was just trying to help," she said softly and reached inside her robes for her wand, only to find it wasn't there anymore. Realization struck her violently. She could have died indeed, if it weren't for Draco. Thank Merlin he had taken her fall seriously.

She turned around troubled, looking for her wand. It could have fallen anywhere on the Quidditch field. Fifteen minutes later, she still couldn't find it.

"Lost something, have we?" she suddenly heard someone say.

Liliana recognised the voice. It was Ronald, Potter's friend.

"Yes, my wand," she said, as Ron's silhouette became visible in the moonlight.

"There you go. Found one near the broom closet. It's probably yours," he said, handing the wand over to her.

"Indeed. Thanks," she replied, a little embarrassed when she took back her wand. "What are you doing here at this late hour?"

"Doing my prefect round, actually," Ron said amused. "You are the one who shouldn't be here."

"I came to search for my wand. You saw me," she lied. "I must have lost it this afternoon."

"Whatever," Ron said, eyeing her suspiciously. He had met Malfoy in the Entrance Hall and threatened him with taking points from Slytherin, but Draco had pointed out that he was also a prefect and therefore in his right to be outside the Slytherin Rooms at that hour. Malfoy had looked really distressed, so Ron had let him go without further argument. Apparently, there was trouble in Slytherin paradise.

"I'll just escort you back to the castle then," he said.

Liliana lingered for a split second behind Ron, just enough time for her to make the broom fly back near the broom closet.

"How did you lose your wand anyway?" Ron asked conversationally.

"I am not sure," she lied effortlessly. "I looked all over the castle for it. I came here because I didn't know where to look."

Ron smiled inwardly. Merlin, the girl was good. Such a perfect countenance and such perfect lies. Harry had been right about her. Everything about the girl was a lie. The problem was that Harry was beginning to let down his guard. Ron had felt it. Harry really liked Liliana: He could tell by the way he was staring at her relentlessly and by the way he talked about her. Ron had to be extra careful to make sure his friend would not get hurt.

When they reached the Entrance Hall, she told him goodnight and walked towards the Dungeons while Ron continued his patrolling. Nevertheless, it was much too early for Liliana to go back to the Slytherin Common Room. She had a feeling Draco would not enjoy her company for a while and therefore, as Ron strolled towards the Gryffindor tower, she changed course and took the stairs to the first floor.

* * *

_A/N: The chapter was very long so I had to split it, but the second part will be up in no time. Let me know how you liked these two chapters and Tom :))_


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**The Chamber of Secrets – Part II**

As heavy rain started to pour over the old Hogwarts castle that night, Albus Dumbledore was pacing in his office unable to stop thinking about the next step in his quest for Voldemort's Horcruxes. He had located the last inanimate object containing a piece of Voldemort's soul – a locket that had belonged to Salazar Slytherin - and he knew it was time to go after it. He did not like the idea of being alone in his attempt to get hold of it and destroy it, but he had no choice. He could not involve Harry; the boy's days were numbered, and Dumbledore wanted Harry to spend the time he had left peacefully, enjoying his life at school and the company of his friends.

He could not take Snape with him either. One of them needed to be guardian of the school if the other was not present on school's grounds. It had been their understanding.

The simplest thing to do would have been to request Liliana Karkaroff's assistance, but the headmaster just couldn't bring himself to do it. Though she had proved to be rather inoffensive at least until now, Albus Dumbledore was still very reluctant about giving Liliana his trust.

He was a man known for placing his trust in people whom the vast majority of the wizarding world thought to be unworthy of it. But in this specific case, Albus simply could not go along with Igor Karkaroff's wishes.

He stopped pacing and approached his desk. He pulled a drawer and took a letter from it. He was reading for the tenth time the letter Igor Karkaroff had sent him just before Durmstrang's fall and his murder. Still, Dumbledore could not stop from slowly absorbing every word the other headmaster had written.

_Dumbledore,_

_If you receive this parchment, I am most certainly dead and a young lady named Liliana is standing before you. Forgive the cliché, but it was my first thought when I started writing to you. And I say that because I would never entrust you with the Slytherin family pure-blood heir, if I had a choice - any other choice. _

_The family history is quite complicated, but what you need to know is that Liliana is the daughter of Lilah Grindewald, Gellart's only grand-daughter and Cesare Slytherin, last decendant of the Slytherins. That makes her the unique heir of two of the most powerful bloodlines in the wizarding world, and it is the first time in many generations when such perfect combination of genes is achieved. _

_I am sorry to have lied to you last time when you came to visit Drumstrang and you enquired about Liliana. To everyone, she _had_ to be presented as my daughter, because I needed to protect her. _

Dumbledore stopped reading for a second to look outside. Igor's letter had managed to surprise him — to say the least. Gellart Grindewald had a family. Voldemort was not the last descendant of the Salazar Slytherin. A Grindelwald marrying a Slytherin. That was not a perfect combination of genes — that was a nightmare. It bothered Dumbledore to see that people still believed that the purer the bloodline was, the more powerful a wizard would be.

He returned to the letter and read a few more paragraphs.

_I know how you must already be wrinkling your nose when you read about what you call "pure-blood superiority crap" – but Dark Lord believes in it, and so does most of the Wizarding World. _

_The evidence? The Dark Lord has tried to kill his Slytherin relatives sixteen years ago for fear they would challenge his power. He has reason to believe that his endeavours have succeeded. What he doesn't know is that I managed to save the last Slytherin heir, and I have also given her my name to keep her safe from suspicion. I have taught her almost everything she needs to know to defeat the Dark Lord, but he has managed to return sooner than I expected. In one more year, Liliana would have been truly prepared to dispose of the bastard once and for all. I believe she has enough magical force to bring the Dark Lord to his knees in the eventuality of a duel. I know well that you have no desire to go against the Dark Lord, and I truly understand you. Therefore, use this opportunity to finish him off before he becomes too strong to handle. _

_As I mentioned before, I don't believe that Liliana is fully prepared for the task yet. What I am asking of you, Albus, is to keep her safe at Hogwarts, to buy her more time, and to continue her training. Six Horcruxes must be destroyed before Liliana challenges Voldemort. The Dark Lord never trusted me with their form or their location. But I do know there are six of them. Find them and destroy them, and the Dark Lord will be as good as dead. _

_I know that the information I am giving you is incomplete, but trust me when I say that the less you know, the better it is. I trust Liliana. She has mastered a good deal of dark spells, and she is prepared to do whatever necessary, including sacrifice of her own life if needed. She has been taught since she was a mere child that it was her mission to bring down this half-blood, disgrace to her family name and murderer of her parents. Yes, she knows the story of her heritage, it was the only way to make her hate her only relative – Lord Voldemort so much. But be careful: The girl is independent, and you must gain her trust before you expect her do as instructed._

_And if you wonder how come I came to be privy to the Slytherin family secrets and why I am taking this vengeance against Voldemort, just ask Liliana when the whole nightmare is over._

_Thank you, my old friend. I had to do something right after all!_

_Igor_

_P.S. Make sure that if she makes it alive out of the war, she marries a pure-blood, preferably the Malfoy heir. The Slytherins have always married their own kind; she must abide by her family's rules. _

As he finished the other headmaster's letter, Dumbledore could feel the irony behind Igor's words. He could almost see him laughing in his face. For once, the Durmstrang headmaster had much more crucial information that could be very useful in the war against the most dangerous Dark Lord ever, than Dumbledore himself had. And he had refused to disclose it. He'd left Dumbledore with only pieces of the puzzle.

What bothered Dumbledore the most was the lack of information regarding the Slytherin family – how had they ended up living in Sweden? It was true that nothing had been heard about Salazar and his lot after their departure from Hogwarts; the headmaster had done a lot of research to identify Tom Riddle as a Gaunt-Slytherin descendant when he had first brought Tom to Hogwarts to begin his studies.

During their first meeting, Dumbledore had tried to find out more from Liliana, but the girl's lips had been sealed. Dumbledore had no reason to doubt Igor's information. It was obvious that the girl was a Slytherin descendant. She had inherited Salazar's famous dark green, unusual eyes, and was without doubt well accustomed to the use of Dark Arts. Moreover, her magic was far beyond the skills of a sixth-year student. That was proof that Igor started her training long before the age of eleven. Obviously, the other master had truly believed that this girl could be the end of Voldemort.

But the glaring question was why would have Voldemort tried to kill someone of the same blood and how had he found out about the other family branches? Was it all part of the Trelawny prophecy or just his usual paranoia?

Dumbledore wouldn't have cared about these issues if he had trusted Liliana. He would have blindly respected Igor's wishes. But he was unable to trust the Slytherin heiress. Her predisposition for the Dark Arts and for breaking the rules, as well as tendency to act on her own reminded Albus so much of Voldemort that the headmaster preferred to be rather careful about her. And Albus was sure as hell he would not continue her training, especially in what concerned the Dark Arts. Still, it was essential that the girl thought he was on her side. He had to drop some pieces of information from time to time to ease her suspicions.

He was ready to use her in the war against Voldemort, and he had made a plan. Not that he believed that the girl was indispensable in this war, but because from his point of view at least, she was _disposable_. The purity of her blood would not compensate for her lack of experience in a duel with Voldemort, but in any case, she was a more credible opponent than Harry himself was. Dumbledore wanted to keep Harry out of the war so that the boy would be able to lead a normal life at least for the moment. Albus still refused to think about how Voldemort would torture Harry before killing him if he got his chance. Harry deserved better than that. He was determined to save the boy from further pain. Even after all these years, the headmaster still did not believe in prophecies, especially in the Trelawny prophecy. It was the Dark Lord who was making everything happen; he was the only one superstitious enough to follow the steps of an unknown prophecy. But in Dumbledore's eyes, Harry was not the Chosen One; he was just a child in need of protection.

Igor might have been right after all. The war in the wizarding world might come down to be just unsolved issues in the Slytherin family — which was altogether incredible and disgusting.

_Damned Slytherins_, Albus scowled.

He put the letter back in his drawer and put on his travelling cloak. He had to go after the Slytherin locket alone, and he hoped he would make it back in one piece.

He firecalled Snape.

"Yes, Headmaster," came Severus' cool voice.

"I am going after the locket," Albus said without any introduction.

"Alone?"

"Yes. I wanted you to know you are in charge tonight."

"This is rather imprudent of you. Remember what happened last time?"

"That was my mistake when I touched the Horcrux. I shall be extra careful this time."

"Very well, have it your way. I'll be on guard."

Dumbledore nodded and ended the firecall. A moment later he left his office and took the shortcut to Hogsmeade.

* * *

It was around ten o'clock, and the castle was already very quiet. The students, except for the prefects and the Heads who were probably patrolling the school, were already in their common rooms. Liliana wandered purposelessly for a while, her wand lit up, looking around at the portraits hung on the wall of the first floor corridor.

Many of the portrait frames were empty as she passed by. It was amusing to see portraits sleeping or people gone from their portraits. There weren't any at Durmstrang, except in Igor's office where an enormous picture of Lucretius Slytherin, Salazar's son and the school's founder, was hanging behind the headmaster's desk.

Liliana took the next flight stairs to the second floor and was beginning to think that Hogwarts really was creepier than Durmstrang, which though cold and drafty, at least had the merit of being elegant, when she thought she heard a noise coming from a deserted corridor on her left. Glancing around, she decided to investigate. She took the corridor only to find out that it was actually a dead end. There were no rooms in there, except for an old girl's toilet. A sign placed on the door showed that the toilet was out of use. She was just about to leave the unpleasant area when she heard the noise again, this time more distinctively, coming from the restroom.

Intrigued, Liliana pushed the door open and found herself in the ugliest girl's toilet one could imagine. Most of the sinks were broken, and all of them seemed out of use. She moved around the room analysing the dusty place in detail, but she found nothing suspicious. She was about to leave when she saw her reflection in the mirror placed above the sinks and noticed how untidy her hair was. She lifted her wand hand and came closer to take a closer look and arrange her hair.

Then she heard it again clearly. Something was moving, just beneath her. She looked down. There was a small snake, like an ornament, on the water tap. Liliana knew what a snake ornament meant at Hogwarts – a sign of Slytherin House. But why would there be a Slytherin sign in a girl's bathroom? A small smile crept on Liliana's face. She touched the small silver snake gently. The snake came to life, its head moving up towards Liliana.

_Typical Slytherin magic._

"What are you hiding here, little one?" she asked in Parseltongue.

"Guarding a Slytherin secret chamber," the snake hissed back. "But I must warn you, if you want to go in, that this chamber has already been opened twice."

"What chamber?" Liliana asked, bewildered. She had no idea such a chamber existed at Hogwarts, as she had never read _Hogwarts: A History._ "Open up, then!"

The snake's little head bowed and a second later the sink in front of Liliana moved aside to reveal a large pipe. Though she was quite tall, Liliana could easily slither through. Without hesitation, she let herself fall through the pipe. The descent was long and rather unpleasant, and she finally landed roughly on the floor of an old tunnel.

"_Lumos_!" she ordered, standing and holding out her wand hand.

She bent just in time to avoid a clash of her head with the tunnel ceiling. The floor was muddy, and the tunnel's walls were covered in thin traces of water. Liliana wrinkled her nose at the putrid smell. It was obvious that something had died in there, and Liliana hoped it wasn't a person. She preferred to move on and find out more about the place. For an unknown reason, Liliana felt strangely attracted to the place despite its creepy appearance.

Soon, she noticed that there were skeletons of little animals all over the place, as well as huge piles of snake skin. After a few moments, she finally reached a large stone door, guarded by two huge stone snakes with eyes like emerald stones. The snakes' eyes glittered in the light of her wand.

"Open!" she said in Parseltongue, but the door had already swung open before her.

_What the…_Liliana wondered, as she entered a very long room, ornamented with high stone columns, sculpted with serpents. An impressive statue of Salazar was visible at the other end of the room, but Liliana did not have the time to look around further because her eyes fell on the huge snake skeleton in the middle of the room. By the size of it, it was without doubt the skeleton of a Basilisk.

She moved closer. Somebody must have killed the amazing creature, and Liliana felt horrified. _Such cruelty. _

She wandered around the room until she stopped in front of Salazar's larger-than-life statue. His eyes were emerald, quite unnatural, just as hers. She stared at the statue for a long time, looking for physical resemblances between her ancestor and herself, but there were none, except maybe for the high cheek bones. Lowering her gaze, she saw a small black book at the statue's feet. She lifted it and looked at it curiously. The cover was made of leather, simple, but as she turned it around, she couldn't help noticing the initials embroiled on the back: _T.M. Riddle_.

She almost dropped it.

The chamber had already been opened, the little snake had said.

_Voldemort_.

The book was Voldemort's. There was no denying that he had found this chamber.

Liliana's heart sank, as it always did every time her distant, half-blood cousin was mentioned.

She opened it with fumbling fingers. It was not a book.

_22__nd__ of September, 1938_

_Hogwarts is everything I ever dreamt of. It's a real home. _

It was his damn journal. Liliana instinctively slammed it back closed. What was his journal doing here? Dumbledore had mentioned it being a destroyed _Horcrux_. Harry Potter had destroyed the journal during his second year at Hogwarts, Liliana knew that much, though she did not know all the details of its destruction.

Harry Potter must have been the other intruder in the Chamber.

One of the damn idiots must have killed the Basilisks. Liliana scowled. She looked at the journal again and put it away in her robes. It was not dangerous since its evil power had been removed; it was just a harmless object now. She would take a look at it later.

_First things first_, Liliana thought. This room could be useful. Liliana had been looking desperately for an appropriate place to practice her magic.

She just needed to do some cleaning.

She returned near the Basilisk's skeleton and surrounded herself with a protection spell.

"_Ignis totalus_!" she called loudly.

Violent flames burst from the tip of her wand and soon the entire room was on fire, all the objects in it, including the basilisk's skeleton melting into the powerful, merciless flames. Liliana frowned, as the temperature inside the protective shield grew.

A few moments later, she cut off the spell and analysed her work critically. The fire had purified the room, but she needed to clean up the residual ashes. The operation took her more time than expected because a simple scouring spell could not do the job.

When she finally finished, she was rather pleased with herself. She could not wait to tell Draco they had a new training room.

After a quick glance at her watch, she decided she still had some time to look at Voldemort's diary. It was almost midnight, and Liliana knew that Filch would return to his rooms and finally go to bed at midnight. Not that she really cared about Filch, but it was wiser to avoid trouble, at least for the time being.

She seated herself at Salazar's huge stone feet and pulled the journal out of her robes.

She took a deep breath as she opened it. It was obvious that the journal did not possess evil powers anymore. But what bothered Liliana was the lack of any sign that the journal had been damaged by any type of weapon.

It was intact.

She was beginning to wonder about the authenticity of the journal when she read the first lines.

_1__st__ of September, 1937_

_At last I__ have found a permanent place to stay. Still, Professor Dumbledore says I'll have to return to the orphanage for summer holidays. Who needs holidays? I wish I could stay here all the time…if they'd only let me!_

Liliana tried to imagine Voldemort as an eleven-year-old, but it proved impossible. She chuckled. She had never seen a picture of him when he was younger and still human…there weren't any at Durmstrang.

She turned a few pages. Voldemort's handwriting, unlike hers, was elegant and cursive. He had used black ink to write in his journal.

_23__rd__ of December, 1937_

_I am not sure what I'm going to do for my birthday. Everyone will be at home for Christmas, even Augustus and Selena who are the only people who befriended me here. It's difficult to make any friends in this school. Everyone believes that I am somehow related to Muggles just because I was at the orphanage before coming here. But I know better. I know I shall be a great wizard soon enough. I'll show them who's right._

Despite herself, Liliana felt sorry for Voldemort. She had an idea about how difficult his childhood might have been.

_24th of February, 1939_

_Scorpius Malfoy is such a bastard. I'm sick of him pushing me around._

Liliana turned the page.

_28__th__ of February, 1939_

_Oh, such a gorgeous day! That's how a Malfoy should be feeling from time to time. Humiliated in front of the entire school. He did not even see it coming. Salazar, revenge is sweet. Speaking of my illustrious ancestor, today I heard a most interesting story about a room built by Slytherin himself at Hogwarts…the Chamber of Secrets._

Liliana smiled and skipped a dozen of pages.

_22 of October, 1943_

_This room has got to be a myth. I cannot find it. I am the last heir of Slytherin. Why can't I find it? It's been ages since I've begun my quest. I don't think there's a place in the castle where I haven't searched yet._

This was becoming increasingly amusing. It would be a delightful experience to read about Voldemort's struggles to find the so-called Chamber of Secrets.

She moved to the last page of the journal. There were only a few lines.

23rd of May, 1943

_I can't believe they are actually __considering shutting down the school! For a stupid mudblood! Where will I go? _

25th of May, 1943

_It's done now. Done and over with. Everything is back to normal._

Liliana blinked. She had no idea what Voldemort was talking about. She needed to find out more about the chamber. Feeling a bit frustrated, she looked again at her watch and decided it was time to go.

Leaving the Chamber of Secrets behind her, she climbed back to the pipe through the humid tunnel.

She drew her wand and sighed.

"_Ascendio_!"

When she was finally back in the unused girls' bathroom, her robes were extremely filthy. She decided immediately she needed to find another way out of the Chamber. She magically cleaned her clothes and set off for the Dungeons, Voldemort's journal safely hidden in her pocket.

* * *

The wind felt unbearably cold against his body as Tom returned the same night flying his broom back to Malfoy Manor. The only source of warmth was Bella's body, her arms surrounding him in a tight embrace. Tom hated human contact, but he had to put up with what he thought was Bella's fear of flying. He was certainly wrong, because Bellatrix had no fear whatsoever of flying; she was fully enjoying their forced closeness.

Tom was still shattered by his recent discovery. The Slytherin heiress was still alive. Had been alive all this time! And he, Tom, had been completely oblivious!

He halted abruptly above the Malfoy Manor, and he took a dangerous dive to land on the lawn in front of the mansion. He succeeded astoundingly well, as always. Being former captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team had its rewards, even after all these years. Without giving any thought to his passenger, as soon as he touched the ground, Tom let go of the broom and strutted towards the house in his usual stance.

It was dawn. Before night fell again, he had to come up with a plan. Unfortunately, his blood was boiling with anger, and his head was swirling with unwanted thoughts. It was almost impossible for him to focus on anything else than his desire to walk straight into Hogwarts and kill the Slytherin heiress at once.

Bella fell heavily off the broom and cursed inwardly. She moved in Voldemort's shadow quietly.

In the Entrance Hall, Tom ran into Lucius. Malfoy bowed: "My Lord." He spotted Bellatrix behind her master. "Bella. Welcome back." She scowled but said nothing.

Tom did not bother to greet him.

"Get the men ready. I want you, Crabbe, Bella, and McNair. We strike tonight."

Malfoy looked disconcerted: "Forgive me, milord. What exactly are we going to do?"

But Voldemort was already climbing the stairs to his private chambers.

"Just get the men ready, Malfoy. And yes…no matter what happens, I am not to be disturbed until ten o'clock tonight."

He did not bother to listen to Malfoy's answer. Entering his chambers, he hastily opened an armoire and, among weapons of all kinds, a Pensive was revealed. He grabbed it and placed it on the large table in the middle of the room.

No matter how much Tom hated to be reminded of one of the most unpleasant moments of his life, he had to go back and relive it step by step. If he were to attack Hogwarts that very evening, he had to remember all the necessary elements that would guarantee his triumph.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 13**

**The Heirs of Slytherin**

Tom took a deep breath and reached for his wand. He touched the Pensive with it and the silvery liquid started to swirl furiously. He knew well what the Pensive contained. Most of his unpleasant memories were deposited in it, and almost all of them were from the era before he had almost lost his power because of the Boy-Who- Lived.

_Too many memories are a heavy burden one should never have to bear at all times_, he thought instinctively, bending over the Pensive. He soon found the memory he was looking for and let himself to be drown into the depths of the Pensive.

A moment later, he was walking through Azkaban's creepy corridors. Right in front of him another man was walking at a steady pace. He was tall and incredibly handsome. His elegant cloak fluttered behind him as he approached a cell which read number thirty-four on the door. A prison guard wizard was accompanying him.

Tom repressed a smile as he trailed behind a much younger version of himself. It gave him such joy to see himself so young, so powerful, so handsome… He longed to be himself again!

His younger self stopped in front of the cell, and the guard wizard opened the door and stood respectfully behind Voldemort, who gave a nod in his direction and entered. Present-day Tom walked in, too.

"Just signal me when the meeting is over," the other wizard said and closed the door behind him.

Younger and older Voldemort stared at the man in front of them. Their expressions were different, though. Younger Voldemort seemed eager and played with his wand. Older Voldemort wore an expression of mixed hatred and disgust.

The man was seated on a chair. He looked old, and he had a wild and tangled beard. His eyes were bloodshot. When young Voldemort had entered the room, he had briefly raised his gaze from a parchment he was writing.

"Morfin," Voldemort acknowledged.

"I didn't think you would come," his uncle said in a hoarse voice. "It's not usual for a criminal to pay visits to his victims. Anyway," he added before Voldemort could say something, "I have started to write this letter to you in order to let you know about some things."

Young Voldemort quirked an eyebrow. "What things?"

"The kind of things you'd better be warned about before you do anything foolish."

Older Voldemort scowled.

"I don't take advice from someone like _you_, Morfin," his younger version snapped.

"Afraid I'd try to take vengeance against you for framing me?" Morfin asked, his eyes glittering in the dim light, as he raised his gaze again to look Voldemort straight in eye.

"I am not afraid of anyone, anymore," young Voldemort stated, smug and self-content. "The mere idea of you being some kind of threat to me is ridiculous. Anyway, I don't have all day, so simply tell me why you called for me."

"Indeed, I have heard of your great deeds, Tom and about your followers. I also heard that you have become _immortal_." There was an unpleasant sneer behind Morfin's words. "But that doesn't mean that you are the only one who can achieve that kind of power in this family."

Present-day Voldemort tensed. He watched in horror his younger-self's face lit up with interest. Couldn't he see that it was a trap?

"What do you mean _in this family_, Morfin? You are the only family I have left. And," Voldemort trailed to give more effect to his words, "you are obviously incapable of achieving _any_ power."

"We are the last Slytherins to live in England, Tom. But you see, the world is a much bigger place than England," Morfin said evenly, leaving the parchment aside.

He got to his feet with some difficulty.

"If you had done some research on our family tree..."

"There is no information regarding the Slytherin family after they left Hogwarts. I searched everywhere in the Hogwarts library," Tom snapped.

"You don't look for the Slytherins in the books, Tom," Morfin said. "We stopped going to that stupid school seven centuries ago. Anyway, Salazar had two sons. One of them — Lucretius — declared war on his father and brother soon after the three of them and their followers left Hogwarts, and he went to settle down somewhere in Northern Europe. There are many branches of the Slytherin family still living there."

"Why are you telling me all this?" young Voldemort asked suspiciously. His older self would have congratulated him, if he hadn't known what had happened next.

"Because if you want to survive, you need to stay away from these people," Morfin said.

"Still, I don't understand why you are telling me this. I am your enemy after all."

"Because even in here rumour has it that you are expanding your influence in Europe. If you continue to do that, you will break into the other Slytherins' territory. If you do, they will retaliate fiercely. You are the last of our family, boy. I want what is left of Gaunt name to survive."

"These other Slytherins are no match for my magical powers. I am not even afraid of that old fool, Grindelwald," Tom said so coolly and smugly that it almost hurt older Voldemort. The latter saw a brief expression of satisfaction in Morfin's face for a split second; then it vanished. He decided he had seen enough to remember how he had come to meet his rivals in the first place.

The scene dissolved, and Tom found himself back in his room at the Malfoy residence. He was feeling a bit dizzy now, and he was not so sure whether it had to do anything with the memory itself or the fury the image of Morfin had caused him again. His uncle had sent him straight into hell.

He remembered well what had happened after their discussion. His uncle had died within months. Soon after, Tom had been careless enough to venture himself in Northern Europe to look for his distant relatives. His fascination for his illustrious ancestor had probably led him there. He had wanted to know Salazar's Pure-blood descendants, to see if they stood up to their fame and to finally be able to proclaim himself as part of the Slytherin family.

But he had soon found out that Morfin had only tried to take his vengeance by making Tom aware of the existence of potential rivals and sending him right into trouble. He had learned that no matter how dim-witted Morfin had been all his life, he had also been a Slytherin. And no Slytherin was to be trifled with — especially when he wanted revenge. Once Tom had learned about the existence of his relatives there was no going back. He was so curious about them that he just could not stay away from them, as Morfin had so carefully advised him.

Tom stumbled back to his bed. His temples were suddenly throbbing with pain. He collapsed on the bed. He knew he had to come up with a plan before ten o'clock that night. Tom Riddle _always_ had a plan_. Always…_

Unfortunately, before he could think any other coherent thought, he lost consciousness.

* * *

Draco was still seething as he took down the stairs to the Dungeons. He had just had an altercation with that Gryffindor dolt, Ron Weasely, but that was not the cause of his fury. It was Liliana who had managed to make him lose lucidity. When had Draco Malfoy been so reckless in his entire life? When had he willingly, deliberately, risked his own precious life to save someone else's? What was wrong with him? Salazar be praised, Draco Malfoy was an egocentric, rational, cold-hearted bastard — and a proud-to-be one. At least, that's what Draco liked to think of himself. He had always managed to be cool, to compartmentalize his feelings, like his father had always taught him, as the Malfoys always did.

Draco liked to think that he only had one Achilles' heel, and that was his family. His father had always protected them all before; now because Lucius had first been thrown into Azkaban and then placed under house arrest, Draco had been called upon to become the ultimate protector of his family. Draco had at first tried to convince himself that he had not acted on pure instinct when he had saved Liliana, that he had been indirectly protecting his family. She had been the one training him, helping him to succeed in protecting his mother and father.

But he knew he wasn't being honest with himself. He knew he had acted out of pure instinct when he had dashed on his broom in that impossible race to prevent her from crushing. He had not taken one second to consider his options; he had simply plunged without giving any thought to the possible risks.

Then, he had tried to think that Liliana was a friend. It was normal to try and save her life.

_Bullshit_, he scowled. _I would never risk my life for Crabbe, Goyle, or even Blaise._

He had to admit it: Liliana was more than just a friend to him. He had known her all his life. He secretly admired her nerve and skills. He had grown to think of her as part of the family. She was someone whom he was bound to help and to protect, even if it had never been the case until now. To follow. But where was he bound to follow her? How far was he going to follow?

With these thoughts in mind, Draco was about to say the password to the Slytherin secret entrance in the Dungeons, when someone else did just that for him.

"Draco," he heard Snape's drawl. "I was on my way to see you. Have you just finished your patrol?"

Draco turned around slowly to face his Head of House. Severus Snape was wearing his usual black robes and an unpleasant sneer. The student tried to sound as polite as possible, though he was sick and tired of Snape trying to get information about his mission on every possible occasion.

"I am, Sir. I'm on my way to bed, too. It's been a long day."

Predictably enough, Snape managed to ignore the "just get out of here and leave me alone" suggestion he had implied in his innocent little phrase.

"Don't be ridiculous, Draco," the professor snarled, and pushing past his favourite student, he entered the Slytherin common room. "It's not that late. We need to talk."

Several people who were still lingering in the common room jumped from their seats upon seeing Snape barging in unannounced. Their Head of House almost never set foot in their common room. Though a very strict figure, he respected their privacy. Their surprise increased, as a frowning Draco Malfoy followed Snape into the room.

"Everyone to bed!" Snape ordered briskly to the students present in the room.

The professor watched, utterly amused, as all of them scattered like scared bunnies to their dorms. He eventually turned to face Draco.

"Sit down!" he said softly, indicating the sofa in front of the fire.

Draco hesitated. He took his time to analyze Snape's face and attitude in detail. All that Aunt Bellatrix had taught him over the summer might prove useful after all, but he did not dare to _legilimens_ the professor. Not yet, at least.

Snape merely smirked; his fanthomless eyes examined Draco from under the shelter of his dense eyelashes.

"Calm down, Draco," he told his favourite student in a mock gentle tone. "I am not here for an interrogation. I wanted to talk to you because I am honestly worried."

"And so is your mother," he continued after a moment.

Draco, who had listened distractedly to the first words Snape had pronounced, stiffened.

"How do you know…"

"She asked me to speak to you," the professor clarified. "She knows you are mad at your father because he is putting pressure on you to finalize the task the Dark Lord has entrusted you with. But she thinks there is no valid reason why you should not communicate with her."

Draco moved silently to sit in a chair opposite Snape.

"I know what you are doing, Professor," he whispered softly. "Don't think I don't."

Snape gave him a dark look.

"I know you have been avoiding me lately. You still don't trust me, do you, Draco?"

"No, because I know what you're aiming for. You want to destroy my father. You want to take his place at the Dark Lord's side."

Snape almost gasped. It was hard to acknowledge to what extent Lucius's line of thinking had influenced his son's!

"Listen to me, you stupid boy," Snape hissed, grabbing Draco's arm roughly. "Your father, whose friendship I have always appreciated, is far from retrieving the Dark Lord's favours. Trust me when I say that once lost the Dark Lord's favours are lost forever. This is why — and you must understand this for your own good —you and your family will be lost forever if you fail to complete the task the Dark Lord gave you."

Severus freed Draco's arm and watched his young student frown. He was sure he had never seen him so pale, not even the day Draco had had to explain to his father why he had failed to catch the Snitch during his first match against Harry Potter.

He hated to see Draco so miserable, but he had to know what the boy was up to, so he would be able to assist him with his task. In September, before school had begun, Severus had taken the Unbreakable Vow to protect Draco and help him in his task. If Draco did not succeed, Severus would have to finish the mission for him. But to do so, Severus needed Draco's cooperation. And Draco had proven much more stubborn than he had anticipated, especially since he and Liliana Karkaroff spent all of their time together doing Merlin knows what — though, for some reason, Severus suspected that whatever they had been doing had nothing to do with teenage hormones. His sources among the other Slytherin students had informed him about the alarming amounts of time Liliana and Draco had been spending away from the Slytherin House. The news was worrisome because this was something that Dumbledore had warned Snape about. The Headmaster was convinced that sooner or later, Liliana would take the matter into her own hands, as Igor Karkaroff had predicted. What that meant, Snape did not know; still he was sure that his two students were up to something.

"The reason why I am concerned is because you don't seem to take any action in your task, whatever that task may be. Your parents seem to agree with me."

Because Draco was still not reacting, looking stubbornly at the floor instead, Snape was almost tempted to grab his arm again and shake him.

Draco's mind was racing, wondering what lie he could tell the professor, so that he would leave him alone. He was troubled to hear that his parents were worrying about him so much that they had to rely on Snape's help, but his decision was made now. He had given it a lot of thought and had decided that he would never be a Death Eater. Not when there was a way out of it. Not when following the Dark Lord was slowly leading his father to his destruction. Draco trusted Liliana, and he knew she was capable of defeating Voldemort. He had seen the spells she could perform, and many of them were dark spells. She had even showed him two dark spells and their counter spells that she had invented. They did not have a plan yet, though. The girl wanted to see how Dumbledore's quest for Voldemort's horcruxes would end first. They also needed to train further. They both knew they were not ready to confront the Dark Lord or his followers. They needed to buy some time for themselves, and they needed to come up with a plausible plan.

His training sessions with Liliana also had been a good influence, not only on Draco's magical skills, but also on him, as a person. He felt a lot more confident now that he had practiced most of the spells that he had been unable to perform before and those he'd been very bad at. He no longer felt like the child his relatives thought him to be. He felt he was growing up. And that gave him the courage not to go on with Voldemort's task to kill Dumbledore.

Draco stared back at his Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He valued him a lot, but he was convinced that Snape would not pass up any opportunity to become Voldemort's right hand. There was no way he would trust him.

He was about to tell Snape that his task was almost done, when he heard the door to the common room open. Both he and the professor turned around to see which student was wandering the corridors at that late hour.

Draco was almost as surprised as Snape to see Liliana, because he had taken a walk around the ground floor to calm his nerves after laving her on the Quidditch pitch, and he had imagined that she had returned to the House earlier.

But their surprise did not match Liliana's own. Her eyes travelled quickly from Snape to Draco, wide with wonder.

"Miss Karkaroff," Snape said with a scowl, "I'll have to take some house points because of your little walks at night. As I told you before, no rule breaking will be tolerated at Hogwarts."

"And you, Professor? Did you have any special reason to come to our common room?" she asked, inquiring eyes set on Draco's own.

"Nothing of your concern," Draco replied in the same tone before Snape could even open his mouth. Still, Malfoy was more than happy that she had arrived.

"Well, I should be on my way. We can continue our discussion tomorrow," the professor announced. "Ten points from Slytherin for wandering the corridors at night. I expect you to make up for this loss of house rapidly, Miss Karkaroff."

He had to make his point.

Liliana stared tensely at him, and then she looked at Draco again, her gaze softening.

"Yes, Sir," she replied evenly. "Good night." She entered her room.

Snape almost chuckled.

"Trouble in paradise?" he asked Draco, as he stood up. "This is something else that we need to discuss. Maybe some other time," he continued, seeing Draco had shaded his eyes again and was staring numbly at the floor.

As soon as Snape left, Draco took his place in front of the fireplace, trying to ignore the unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. He wanted so much to speak to Liliana; he needed to be reassured by her. The thought that he might have exaggerated when he had left her on the Quidditch pitch alone briefly crossed his mind. He stared at the closed door that separated Liliana's room from the common room and sighed. He did not dare disturb her, since she was obviously hurt and probably in a bad mood. He decided that tomorrow was a good day to apologize, and he opened his DADA book.

* * *

Tom's eyes fluttered open. He looked around the room and, for a second, did not recognize it. Everything was in the shadows; it had to be very late. He had slept again. And he had had that terrible nightmare once more. _Nightmare? Not really_. It was just a memory he had always wanted to forget about.

The moment he had begun to loose consciousness, Tom had instinctively started the fight to gain control over himself again. It had proved impossible. He had been falling further and further into his worst memory, a memory he would have never put in a Pensive. He had struggled and struggled ineffectively to clear out his mind, but since his last thought had involved his lost relatives, his brain had instinctively concentrated on them again. And it wasn't a surprise that his weak body had betrayed him. He instinctively closed the long and sharp nails of his right hand around his other arm. They dug into the flesh until they drew blood, and Tom stared impassively at the trails they had left. Harry Potter's blood. He felt so disgusted with everything. He had been the one who had wanted Potter's blood, wanted Lily Potter's protective spell. And now he had to live with it.

He cursed inwardly, as his memory came back to him. God, he hated this incredibly weak body. He got to his feet and went to glance outside, trying hard to calm his nerves.

Nothing of that terrible afternoon many years ago had been just a nightmare. The humiliation he had to endure from the Slytherins. The effects of the _Cruciatus_ he had felt for the first time that had left him crawling on the cold floor of the castle. The following three long days he had spent plundering and burning down the Slytherin residence. Oh, he remembered that part so well…

That was the moment when Tom had decided he no longer needed to have some aristocratic, legendary parentage to be Lord Voldemort. He no longer needed the Slytherins. And he was sure as hell he would never let any of them live.

Tom scowled remembering that it was Igor Karkaroff who had sent him an owl while he was still at the Slytherin castle. The note read that Lilah Slytherin had arrived at Durmstrang by portkey. She was dead, and the Slytherin pureblood heiress had died at birth, too. Such lies. _The traitor_. He felt a terrible urge to have Bellatrix killed for not leaving him the pleasure of torturing the bastard. He felt his blood boiling with fury again just thinking of it. Unfortunately, he still needed Lestrange.

Then a horrible smile crept on his face. His heart filled with joy. Less than two hundred miles away, the Slytherin heiress was probably sleeping like an angel, with only her homework to worry about. He thanked Nagini again for being such an audacious snake to sneak out to Hogwarts grounds and confirm her presence and Dumbledore for being such a fool to keep Liliana at Hogwarts.

Yes, he would give anything to have the sweet princess' parents and Igor Karkaroff watch as he would torture her into the next world. His pulse quickened at the thought, and his blood started to run through his veins like never before. Revenge was sweet. Merlin, he was going to enjoy this.

Tom opened a private storeroom and changed his clothing. He took his wand from under his pillow and put on a travelling cloak. Just then, his wards gave a signal. Someone was outside. He opened the door and came face to face with Lucius Malfoy.

"Mylord, it is ten o'clock."

"Very well. Where are the others?"

"Downstairs, waiting for us."

"Let's proceed, then."

"Mylord, may I ask where we are going?" Lucius inquired as they entered the spacious living room, where Bella was waiting for them together with Crabbe, Goyle and Macnair. They were all wearing travelling clothes.

Tom looked pleased to see that after all these years, they were beginning to guess his intentions. He noted Bella's eagerness. He had a feeling she knew where they were going.

"Hogwarts, Lucius," he answered matter-of-factly. "I feel like paying a visit to one of my favourite places."

Bella sniggered. He saw triumph in her face and, for a moment, she seemed to have regained some of her lost beauty.

On the contrary, Lucius Malfoy was dead-pale. And so were the other two Death Eaters whose children were studying at Hogwarts.

"Mylord, maybe we should let Severus know we are coming, so he can make sure there are no dangers at our arrival," he suggested as neutrally as he could.

Tom almost chuckled.

"No, I don't think it's a good idea, Lucius. You see, I think this is a very good opportunity to check out Severus' allegiance. You have all warned me about Snape being a double agent. Now we'll find out if he really is one. Let's surprise Severus, shall we?"

He smiled maliciously and, grabbing Bella's arm, he made her take a few steps away from the others.

"Go make sure someone's keeping an eye on your sister until we come back. I don't want her sending any messages to Hogwarts."

Bella nodded and walked towards the staircase. Tom turned to face the others.

"Let's get some brooms. We'll be needing them inside the school's grounds," he said, and pulled the black hood of his cloak over his head.

Fifteen minutes later, five hooded Death Eaters and their leader Apparated in front of Hogwarts secular gates.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 14 **

**Back to Hogwarts**

As soon as he left the Slytherin common room, Severus resumed patrolling the castle. Minerva McGonagall was also on guard, but Severus had chosen not to alert the rest of the teachers about Dumbledore's absence.

The Headmaster's absence almost always created a state of anxiety among the professors that Severus hated. They were pathetic from his point of view: Dumbledore was a great wizard, but it was not as if they could not manage without him. But, apparently, Severus was the only one who believed they could.

Severus preferred to focus on the matter at hand. He took a corridor to his left, were first and second-year students sometimes gathered to play, instead of going to bed after curfew; it was deserted though.

He then chose to take down the stairs to the Entrance Hall. The conversation with Draco was still bothering him. He'd had no result whatsoever, but at least he had managed to make his concerns known. It was up to Draco to weigh what he had heard and do the right thing. Nevertheless, at the end of their conversation, Draco had not seemed to think it was necessary to keep Severus informed about how his tasks were progressing. That was worrisome.

Severus briefly wondered why Draco and Liliana were so mad at each other. It was quite unusual, since they seemed to be closer and even more united than the Dream Team. He was not sure whether he liked this situation or not. Dumbledore certainly hated it, because he did not trust the Slytherin heiress. That much was obvious.

But things were different for Severus.

He had always been fascinated with the Slytherin family. It was one of the reasons he had joined the Dark Lord in the first place. The Slytherins were a trademark in the wizarding world. They were powerful, mysterious, and probably the most gifted wizards ever. But most importantly, they did not refrain from embracing the Dark Arts. And the Dark Arts were Severus' favorite thing. When he had met the Dark Lord for the first time, he had felt that power, the incredible flow of magic surrounding him. Voldemort was the most courageous man in the world. He was not afraid to taste the forbidden fruit that was the Dark Arts. He was their master. And for Severus, it had been only the beginning.

But the Dark Lord had made Severus lose everything he loved. He had left him with his hate instead. He had left him without hope, waiting for the moment when Voldemort would return, to have his vengeance at last. But were they really capable of defeating Voldemort? Dumbledore had admitted that the Dark Lord had powers Dumbledore did not want to know about and did not want to have. Under these circumstances, were they really capable of defeating the most powerful wizard ever? Even though Dumbledore had never told Severus anything about the last confrontation between him and Voldemort, Severus knew it had weakened the headmaster. Dumbledore had been taking strengthening potions ever since.

And then, several weeks ago, hope had unexpectedly arrived, in the form of Liliana. Severus instinctively knew that she was a gift to them in these trying times. Dumbledore refused to see it, but Severus was sure of Liliana's abilities. She was strong, she was smart, and she was willing to work hard to fight Voldemort and win. That made her different from Potter: her will to win and her determination to achieve her goal, no matter at what cost. Potter was just a whining boy with a hero complex. He was not willing to give everything to become a possible rival to the Dark Lord. It had been obvious to Severus from their first Occlumency lesson.

Of course, there were things about Liliana that the headmaster had pointed out several times that Severus still refused to acknowledge: for instance, the girl's tendency to use dark spells whenever she had a chance. It had happened in Severus' DADA classes: Instead of repelling a dark spell with a defensive one, Liliana had inflicted another dark spell on her opponent. He had decided to overlook the incident at the time, though.

But it was only the tip of the iceberg: From his sources among the Slytherins, Severus knew that Liliana and Draco kept infringing the school's rules. He had not taken any measures against them yet, because he needed to find out what they were up to first. He would keep them under permanent surveillance. He would make sure both kids were safe.

Igor Karkaroff had raised and protected Cesare and Lilah Slytherin's child, and he had eventually given his life to protect her and Durmstrang. Severus could only guess the reason behind his choice. The institute had been founded and protected by the Slytherins. It had been their home. Igor had been bound to help Lilah. And so he had.

On the other hand, Narcissa Malfoy had entrusted Severus with her son's life. He could not back away from this.

The second war had begun, and Severus was playing a risky game. The Dark Lord could not be fooled forever. But Severus was ready to take the chance. He would never allow Liliana to get hurt in this war. She could have a great future once the war was over. Severus believed that wars had to be fought by grown-ups and not by children. It was one of the reasons he disagreed with the Headmaster on some points of their plan. He would stay at her and Draco's sides no matter what.

Severus stopped dead in his tracks. He had begun descending the last flight of stairs to the Entrance Hall, when he saw five Death Eaters with masks in place and wands at hand. And in front of them stood Minerva McGonagall, gripping her wand. Severus wondered if there was even one tiny chance to save her life.

* * *

They Apparated in front of Hogwarts' ancient gates. The school grounds were hidden in the darkness, and so were the contours of the old castle.

Tom pushed back the hood of his traveling cloak and inhaled the cool air with some anticipation. Behind him, he felt the Death Eaters shifting uneasily.

They were all probably wondering what they were doing there. Their intrusion at Hogwarts had not been properly planned, and they all still feared Dumbledore in a way that made Tom sick.

"Let's proceed!" he said in his cold, high-pitched voice, drawing his wand.

The Death Eaters did not move; they all knew they couldn't just step in. The school grounds were protected by ancient spells.

Tom noticed their hesitation and turned around. His face was half-hidden in the dark, but they could still feel his death glare.

"Nobody here has ever breached school rules and returned at night?" he asked in a voice filled with sarcasm.

There was stony silence, and then Bella sneered in Lucius' direction.

"Please, dear brother-in-law, do show us how to get into Hogwarts. You must surely remember, taking into account the numerous escapades you are so proud of."

"Ladies first," Malfoy sneered back.

He glanced around nervously and noticed everyone's eyes on him. Voldemort had stepped away from the gates and was waiting patiently for him to make a move. He could not say how the others felt, because all of them were wearing their masks.

He drew his wand and sent a powerful unlocking charm towards the gates. It backfired, sending him on his back.

He heard Crabbe chuckle and Bella snigger. Voldemort was still silent, watching them.

"Who wants to try next? McNair?" Lucius invited, getting up.

He had felt it immediately. The atmosphere had suddenly changed. The fear that dominated them had vanished, replaced by the long-forgotten excitement accompanying their quest for power. It always happened like that when they were on a mission with the Dark Lord. They knew he was capable of overcoming any obstacle, magical or not. Looking at him now, Lucius was convinced that Voldemort knew how to break into Hogwarts. He had broken into Azkaban to get Lucius. That was something that Lucius could not forget, because Voldemort had risked his exposure in his attempt to rescue him from the Dementor's kiss. In moments such as those, Lucius remembered why he had joined the Dark Lord against his father's will. Voldemort had no use for Lucius anymore, and he had still saved him from a certain death.

McNair did not comment; instead he tried to smash the gates open with a non-verbal spell. It did not work, but he managed to shield himself from the furious response of the spells protecting Hogwarts.

Voldemort laughed scornfully. He made a dismissive sign to Bella, who had raised her wand in turn and swung his right leg over his broom.

"Such a ridiculous display," he hissed, kicking off. "I reckoned that last time when you broke into Hogwarts you might have figured it out."

The others imitated his moves without understanding what he meant.

"The only way to break into Hogwarts is by air, provided that you managed to dodge the attacks of the Whomping Willow," he said over his shoulder and moved forward at top speed, avoiding the famous tree. Crabbe was not as lucky; one of the tree's branches caught his leg, and he was almost thrown off his broom. Luckily for him, Lucius managed to steady him, and he avoided a painful fall.

When they reached the front doors of the castle, Tom simply pushed them open. He knew there was no locking charm on them. He knew everything about Hogwarts. He could not remember how many years he had slept with _Hogwarts, A History _under his pillow. He was disappointed to find that Dumbledore had not tightened security — not even now, when he knew Tom was a real menace. _The old man still doesn't take me seriously,_ he thought, gritting his teeth. Of course, Dumbledore had nothing to fear; there was nothing at Hogwarts that Tom desired. Well, not until recently. Tom wondered silently if he wasn't rushing into things, but the answer was already there: He couldn't care less. Nothing in this world could prevent him for taking his revenge.

In any case, the old biddy who was patrolling the Entrance Hall didn't stand a chance. He smirked watching Minerva McGonagall entering the hall. Her wand light was not strong enough to discover their presence immediately. The Death Eaters had not bothered to light their wands, and that was to their advantage. They stood silently, wands at hand, waiting until McGonagall almost bumped into Voldemort.

The teacher took a step back, eyes wide, as Tom sneered at her. She raised her wand, horror imprinted on her stern features. Tom noted the slight trembling of her hand before he heard the spell and Minerva fell dully on her back.

"_Petrificus totalus_!"

Behind the frozen woman, Severus Snape lowered his wand and walked casually in their direction.

* * *

The small storage room was submerged in thick darkness. All trace of moonlight had disappeared when she had furiously pulled the curtains and crouched near the wall, her back against the cold bricks. She had not taken off her robes; instead she had pulled off her boots and thrown them in a corner. The dark was friendly because nobody could see her weakness now; it hid her, when all she wanted to do was to sob uncontrollably.

_It is just a matter of time before this war is lost,_ Liliana thought against herself. She had tried not to dwell on this thought ever since her first appointment with Dumbledore. It came systematically to her mind, driving her mad, when all she needed now was hope. But one could not survive on hope when all odds were against it. And ever since she had come to Hogwarts, hope was something that she was slowly running out of.

She clutched her knees tightly and rested her forehead against them, trying to steady herself, trying not to tremble. She was feverish, but she was not sick. Her blood was boiling with suppressed anger and emerging fears.

_Soldiers never cry,_ she reminded herself. _Soldiers fight and soldiers die, but they never cry._

The sobbing stopped, and she breathed heavily, trying to get a grip.

Maybe there was still hope after all. She scowled in the darkness, reviewing the current situation.

Dumbledore did not trust her, and as a consequence, he would never replace Igor Karkaroff as her mentor. What would she need to do to prove to the old man that she was not like Voldemort? He had Snape supervising her every move in the castle. With his unreadable, cold-as-ice expression, former Death Eater Severus Snape was not a person she could entirely trust.

Time was passing by, and she had not made any progress. All Igor Karkaroff's work and sacrifice had been in vain, since the Headmaster had done nothing to continue her training. It could only mean one thing: He did not intend to include her in his plans to bring Voldemort down. He went Horcrux hunting alone, pretending that she was not ready for the task. But Liliana could read between the lines, and she would not be fooled. She had been good enough to destroy a Horcrux, which was a much more dangerous task since it weakened the person who destroyed it considerably. They would make her destroy all the Horcruxes, consuming her magical force under this pretext. Liliana remembered with a shudder how sick she had been after destroying Tom's ring. She still did not have an answer as to why she had been so affected by the Horcrux. It should have been a relief; instead her body had been weakened and her mind restless.

But soldiers did not complain about such trivial things. It was her objective to destroy Voldemort, even if she had to do it piece by piece and lose her own force in the process.

What she could not afford to lose was her only friend. The way Draco had risked his life to save hers, the way he had looked at her after that stupid incident … she silently cursed her recklessness. It was clear as the daylight that she would do anything to be forgiven. Maybe he would, if she just gave him some time.

She crawled towards the bed, letting her robes drop off her shoulders on the floor. The noise made by Tom's journal, hidden in a pocket, as it hit the floor did not stir her. With a hesitant hand, she put her wand under her pillow and drifted off to sleep immediately, curled up in an attempt to shield herself against the cold.

* * *

"Good evening, Severus"

"My lord." Snape bowed with false modesty. "I had no idea you were coming here tonight. I would have allowed myself to take some measures to avoid incidents such as these," he added, gesturing towards the professor lying on the floor.

He prepared himself for an inquisitive look from Voldemort that never came. The Dark Lord merely nodded and continued on his way, which only managed to unsettle Severus further. He turned to look at the Death Eaters accompanying him. He easily recognized them, even though they were all wearing masks. They passed him by, sneering. The last of them, a shorter and thinner person stopped near him and hissed:

"Well played, Snape. But trust me when I say that your time will be up soon."

"I really do not understand what you are talking about, Bellatrix," Severus said, innocently and followed her closely.

"That is so surprising coming from you, Snape. And here I was, thinking that you actually were intelligent. My mistake."

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Patience, you'll see in a minute."

She was right. Voldemort had just taken the stairs down to the dungeons.

"This is going to be fun," Bella said and gestured with her wand in Severus' direction. "Come, Snape. I bet you are dying to run and tell Dumbledore we are here, but I'll have to ask you to delay that."

"Your trust in me is very touching," he sneered.

She did not respond.

He followed her to the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room. Voldemort had stopped, and he and the Death Eaters were apparently having a lot of fun trying to find out the password themselves.

"My lord," Snape intervened, "if you intend to pay a visit to the students ..." He heard Bella snigger behind him. Apparently, there was one he could never fool. "Perhaps I should prepare them first."

"I am not paying a visit to the students, Severus. I have just come to recover something that is mine. Now, the password, if you please."

Cornered, Severus looked up into Voldemort's immobile face. Though a little reassured that Voldemort had not come to start bloodshed, Severus had no doubts that his former master was there to find Liliana Karkaroff. Why else would he have exposed himself to the danger of coming all the way to Hogwarts?

Nevertheless, Severus did not have a choice. It was a very inconvenient moment to reveal his true allegiance, so he said the password, and the entrance appeared out of nowhere, allowing them to step into the common room.

There was only one person still up curled up on the couch in front of the fireplace, reading; even from some distance, he was easily recognizable, with his white blond hair and his pale complexion. Hearing noise, he raised his head, and his eyes widened in surprise.

The Death Eaters advanced in the room, looking curiously around.

"It hasn't changed a bit," Crabbe Sr. said, sitting near Draco, who watched them in disbelief.

He turned to his father, whom he had immediately recognized. Lucius silenced him with a frozen look from inside the slits of his mask. Draco grabbed his wand from the inside pocket of his robes.

Voldemort closed the distance between him and Draco.

"Where is she?" he asked quietly.

Draco thought he looked somehow different from the usual composed self. His red eyes were glittering in the dim light, and his face was contorted in a strange smile. Draco remained silent.

Voldemort had already started to walk towards the girls' dormitory without waiting for him to answer; just then, Pansy Parkinson came staggering down the stairs. She stopped in her tracks, horrified, as she laid eyes on him.

He merely smirked.

"Is the new girl there?" he asked her, pointing to the dormitory.

A shadow passed on Pansy's face, as she looked from Voldemort to Draco and back.

"She's there," she said shakily, after a moment of frozen silence, indicating a door behind Voldemort.

He turned around to look at his Death Eaters.

"Stand guard," he said quietly, and taking out his wand, he proceeded towards the door that Pansy had showed him.

No one dared to disobey. Everyone stared in silence after him. Draco then looked at Snape who was still near the entrance with an unfathomable expression on his face. But his favorite student could easily sense the tension behind the mask of confidence. For a split second, Snape's eyes met his, with a clear warning in them. i_Don't do anything. Do not rush into things./i _But Draco did know not even know what they icould/i do. All he could hope for was that Liliana would be ready for Voldemort.

* * *

He could still feel the others' eyes on him as he touched the doorknob. There were wards around the room; he had traced them immediately. Magic always left traces. Tom knew that very well; he had learned it from Dumbledore himself. He easily deactivated some of them, but entrance still proved impossible. Sniggering, Tom observed the small snake carved on the door knob.

"Open!" he demanded in Parseltongue.

The door swung open rather violently, and Tom hoped that it the noise would not spoil his surprise.

He advanced quietly into the small room and looked around. It was very dark and cold. He couldn't see anything, and he almost tripped because of some clothing on the floor. Carefully holding his breath, he waited for a few seconds so that his eyes would adjust to the dark. He did not want to light up his wand; but in the end, he had no choice. When he did, he let out his breath loudly.

The room he recognized now was a former storage room. He was able to locate a wardrobe before his eyes fell on the small bed in the middle of the room and his whole attention focused on the girl who was sleeping there.

For a second Tom froze, his wand at ready, but then he realized that there was no danger for him whatsoever, as Liliana was sleeping deeply. He advanced towards his victim, feeling a bit dazed. He rarely killed himself and even more rarely he took any pleasure at all in murder. But this was different. With a swift move of his wand, Tom flung open the curtains, and as the moonlight invaded the room, he flicked again his wand and the artificial light disappeared.

Then he allowed himself to contemplate his distant cousin for the first time: the last Pureblood heir of Slytherin. She was the only child of relatives who had dared to humiliate and torture him seventeen years ago. Tom was about to finally take his revenge. He bent over the small bed. He noted distantly that the girl looked a lot like her father; she had not inherited her mother's beauty, but she was still interesting to look at. She had long, dark lashes, aristocratic features and full lips. Were those traces of tears at the corners of her eyes? The discovery rather intrigued Tom, but he did not dwell on it. He had no time to lose.

Long, spidery fingers closed around Liliana's neck. Tom would not kill her in her sleep with the Killing Curse. There was no point in killing her painlessly. He wanted her to suffer for the humiliation he had endured from the other Slytherins.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty," he mocked, his voice filled with sarcasm. "Your Prince is here."

Liliana's eyes suddenly fluttered open. The unusual green eyes locked with Tom's dark, cat-like pupils for the first time, and both Slytherins froze for what seemed like an eternity.

* * *

A/N Again many thanks to Lisa for her beta work.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 15**

**Thrill Me, Kill Me**

Liliana was the first to react. Her hand flew immediately under her pillow to retrieve her wand. She managed to grab it, but Tom let go of her neck and caught her wrist to prevent her from using magic. However, he knew that he had made a mistake as soon as he felt a hard blow on his chest. He stumbled backwards. Apparently, his cousin had inherited other things, more useful than beauty, from her mother: the capacity to do controlled, wandless magic.

As Tom tried to catch his balance, Liliana leapt off the bed and pointed her wand at him. She was breathing heavily. Her eyes were wide, and her hand was trembling slightly. She tried to get a better look at him, but it was impossible to see his face in the dark room. His fingers on her neck had felt like ice, lifeless. In other circumstances, she would have thought that it was just some sort of nightmare; still, there was no doubt that the one standing just a few steps away from her was Lord Voldemort.

Tom steadied himself, and before she could react in any way, he performed a non-verbal curse that not only made Karkaroff drop her wand, but also to scream in pain; suddenly her skin seemed to burn uncontrollably. He looked coldly at the girl who had dared to stand up to him and studied the effects of his curse on her with a detached sort of interest.

"This curse is very interesting," he explained in a controlled tone. He had no intention of lifting the spell. "You see, the effects may be permanent. It may leave some nasty traces."

He inched closer to Liliana, lifted her wand, and examined it.

"I remember this one very well. It belonged to Lilah Grindenwald. It gave me some trouble. It might be the reason I'm here in the first place."

He dropped his gaze to Liliana, who had managed to get to her knees and was now making efforts to rise to her feet. The girl's eyes seemed focused on her mother's wand.

"Then again, I might have a better reason to be here," he continued, bending over Liliana. "Tell me, girl, where is the Slytherin's sword?"

His eyes met a gaze filled with an intensity of hate that seemed to equal his. But Tom had no time to lose. He had to seize this excellent opportunity to attain his goal. He raised his wand and had Liliana pinned to the wall, fighting for her breath.

"So, what say you? Death can be more or less painful. Your choice."

Liliana parted her lips, as if to say something, and Tom came closer so he could hear her, his eyes boring into hers.

"Yes, indeed," she said with great difficulty. "My choice. There's no way a filthy half-blood is going to touch Salazar's sword."

For a second, Tom almost gasped. This girl was a copy of her unfortunate parents, the quintessence of their pureblood haughtiness. She had never known them and still she proffered the same insults at him.

So he did what he thought he had to do. He watched her suffering under his Cruciatus curse for many long minutes. He put a lot of energy in it to make it particularly hurtful. Karkaroff squirmed, but she did not beg for his mercy. Not very pleased with the job he had done, Tom pinned her again to the wall.

"Feeling a bit more cooperative?" he asked softly.

Karkaroff merely stared at him with the ghost of a strange smile on her lips.

"I know why you want the sword," she finally said.

He stared back. There was no way she could know he had chosen her to make his final Horcrux. The occasion was magnificent: his enemy's offspring and Salazar's sword. What could be better?

"Do you?" he whispered with a sly grin.

"I will not participate in my own death, Voldemort," she whispered back.

He swore and turned to look around the room in frustration. _Accio_ did not work, nor did other similar spells, but he hadn't really expected them to work. What he had not anticipated was the girl's stubborn resistance.

On the other hand, there were strong chances that the foolish girl had given Dumbledore the sword for safekeeping.

He looked back to the girl and waved his wand. She collapsed near the wall.

"All right, then. Let's just finish this. We'll play a little game. I curse, you suffer. Got it? Perhaps it will eventually change your mind. We have enough time."

He raised his wand again and sent a _Cruciatus_ curse at her, but nothing happened. In her desperation, Karkaroff had produced a wandless protective shield. It was not surprising for Tom, as he was also capable of doing that, but he knew that wandless magic was not strong enough to hold off an armed attacker. He laughed.

"How long do you think you'll be able to hold on to that?" he asked.

"As long as I have to," she growled, but her power was already wearing off under the much more powerful _Cruciatus_.

Furious now, Tom forgot about magic. He grabbed Karkaroff and slammed her roughly against the wall. He hated human contact, but he rather enjoyed digging his nails into the sensitive skin on Liliana's neck.

"Where is it?" he hissed angrily.

"Take your hands off me," she muttered tensely.

As he and Karkaroff stared unblinkingly at each other, the air around them began to crackle with uncontrolled magic. Tom's face was only inches from Liliana's when the moon suddenly emerged from the clouds, and for the first time, they could see each other clearly.

Tom watched Liliana closely, mesmerized by the hateful expression in her face. Most people could not master such feeling in his presence because they were simply petrified.

She stared at him, trying hard not to show her revulsion to his inhuman appearance. In the moonlight, the paleness of his snake-like face was accentuated in the cruelest way possible. If she had met Death in person, Liliana thought, it would have looked much friendlier. A powerful energy field that seemed to emanate from him surrounded them both. Unexpectedly, she reveled in his unrestrained magic, as it felt strangely protective.

The look in her eyes showed surprise, and Voldemort suddenly backed off, releasing her.

"You're coming with me," he said, flicking his wand and exiting the room.

Liliana gasped as invisible strings seemed to pull her after him.

* * *

It was as clear as daylight to him.

She would serve some purpose, though it was not clear to him which one.

Tom always trusted his instincts because had never failed him.

As he returned in the Slytherin Common room, he noticed the heavy silence and almost laughed. They all thought he had killed an underage student for defying him and probably believed that his cruelty knew no bounds.

Young Malfoy looked as if life had suddenly drained out of him, as he sat on the couch with Lucius' hand gripping his shoulder. Crabbe and McNair had done a good job of keeping curious students locked in their dormitories, while Bella stood right next to the door, a triumphant look in her eyes.

He flicked his wand again and smiled to himself, as his cousin stumbled into the room under the power of his spell. She was still wearing her school uniform, which looked untidy beyond belief, and she was barefooted.

"Our job here is done," he announced coolly. He turned toward Karkaroff, grabbed her arm, and sent her roughly towards Lucius.

"Make sure she doesn't get away. We're leaving," he announced.

Lucius looked surprised, but he obeyed without a word. He let go of Draco and grabbed Liliana's arms. Tom noticed that his cousin's eyes were focused on Draco, and he smirked. Young Malfoy looked immensely relieved. _So predictable_, he thought. He ignored Bella's stupefaction and horror when she heard his order to Lucius and exited the common room, followed by the Death Eaters.

Severus Snape caught up with him in the hall.

"My lord," he said in his cool, silky voice, "should I come with you, as well?"

"No, Snape, your place is here," Tom replied, hiding his face behind the hood of his cloak. "You can go on now and tell Dumbledore that we are here," he added with a hidden smile. "It is the sensible thing to do. Otherwise they will suspect you."

He walked briskly away followed by the others, the shadow of a doubt beginning to form in his mind. He had always been persuaded that Snape was not Dumbledore's spy, as many Death Eaters said behind his back. But his last words haunted him until he reached the front doors and grabbed his broom. Why would Snape offer to come to the Manor when it was not at all logical? It would immediately blow his cover. There was only one credible answer, and it unsettled Tom: For some reason, Snape didn't want to leave the Slytherin girl out of his sight.

He turned around and watched Lucius Malfoy dragging Liliana with him. Crabbe, Goyle, and McNair pushed open the large oak doors and mounted their brooms. The dark outside was thick; the new moon was again hidden by heavy clouds. They would have to make a detour to avoid the troublesome tree. Tom made a mental note to get rid of it when he'd finally conquered Hogwarts territory.

Lucius conjured his broom. He felt Liliana's hand grasping his arm and gave her a warning look. Under no circumstances, should Voldemort find out that they knew each other well. They would all be lost.

Moments later, they disappeared like shadows into the night.

In the Headmaster's office, Severus Snape stood frozen gazing into the dark and wondering what to do. When Dumbledore came back from Horcrux hunting he would have to explain that their best hope to destroy Voldemort was gone in the blink of an eye.

* * *

It had been the worst moment of his life, Draco thought, as he got to his feet and entered Liliana's room. For a moment, he was sure he had lost her. It had been torture for him to know what Voldemort had been doing to her, without being able to do anything to help her. It wasn't over, though. For some reason, Voldemort had not killed her yet. But he was unpredictable. And Draco was the only one who had seen Liliana's look of desperation as Lucius dragged her outside the common room. It had killed him inside to see her so helpless. She needed him; there was no doubt.

He quickly made up his mind. He would not lose his only friend out of cowardice. They had no right to be such cowards, when Voldemort was about to kill their last hope of freedom. If they were to die, at least they should die fighting. It was the best occasion to take on Voldemort and the Death Eaters. They were on Hogwarts grounds: Lucius, Snape, Liliana, and himself were there — and there was Dumbledore, Draco thought feverishly, as he entered Liliana's room. Someone had to let the old fool know what was happening. Where was he when he was truly needed?

He knew that anger was clouding his mind and that in normal circumstances he would have never acted without a careful plan, but now he had no time to lose.

Still trembling, Draco flicked his wand to illuminate the room. He threw open the doors of Liliana's small wardrobe and fumbled through her clothes until he retrieved Salazar's sword. He knew that the sword was untouchable for any wizard who was not a Pureblood. This was a test for him, since many people in the wizarding world had accused the Malfoys of not being as pureblooded as they pretended to be, but he had no trouble touching the sword.

The moment he felt the silver handle in his palm, he felt invincible. He rushed after the Death Eaters. The sword had immense power, at least that was what Liliana had told him. Salazar had used many spells to make the sword unbreakable and its possessor safe from many curses.

He stopped abruptly in the Entrance Hall and gave a growl of rage as he watched the Death Eaters fly into the night. He shouted the first curse that came to his mind and actually managed to set one's broom on fire.

They disappeared from sight, and he succumbed to his desperation.

He crouched against the stone wall near the front doors, grasping Salazar's sword. The blade cut into his hand, but Draco ignored it, screwing his eyes shut. It felt almost good after failing so miserably to defend his friend.

He did not know how much time had passed when he felt soothing hands pushing his hair off his face and gently removing the sword from his hand. He opened his eyes and saw the face of a girl he barely recognized. She helped him to his feet and used her wand to mend his wound.

He wanted to speak, but she stopped him.

"Not now. You need to go back to your common room and rest," he heard her gentle whisper. "I'll take you there."

They made their way back to the Dungeons. When they reached the Common Room, half the students were already out in the hallway, and Pansy Parkinson was vividly recounting what she had witnessed before being shut in the girls' dormitory by Crabbe Sr.. When her eyes fell on Draco, she went very quiet. He gave her a disgusted look as he passed her and entered his room, followed closely by a weary Ginny Weasley, who was still clutching his arm.

* * *


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 16**

**Slytherin Business**

"Look, mate, there is another Hogsmeade trip planned in two weeks' time," Ron said.

Harry followed the direction indicated by Ron's outstretched arm. Filch had placed a new announcement on the wall early in the morning. He smiled to himself and unconsciously flatted his unruly hair. His smile did not escape Ron's notice.

"I know what you are thinking, Harry, and I don't like it at all," he said coolly.

Harry paid no attention and strode into the Great Hall. He was pretty hungry, and they were already a bit late. As he settled into the chair next to Hermione, who was giving Ron and him a disapproving look, his eyes automatically scanned the Slytherin table. To his amazement, he was not the only one doing it. Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and his own Gryffindor mates were staring curiously in the same direction — and for good reason.

The Slytherin table was usually the quietest one in the Great Hall. As self-involved jerks everyone considered them to be, the Slytherins kept everything to themselves and spent their meals and leisure time talking quietly to each other in small groups or reading the newspaper.

It was not the case this morning.

All the older Slytherins were grouped together around a nucleon formed of Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson. They were talking and gesturing agitatedly. Harry also noticed that Draco and Liliana were absent, but it did not surprise him, since the two of them had been regularly skipping meals lately. A quick look at the teacher's table informed him that Dumbledore was not present, which was very peculiar.

"What is going on?" he asked, gesturing toward the Slytherin table.

"I don't know, and I don't care," Hermione said briskly, opening _The_ _Daily Prophet_. "But why don't you go over there and ask them. I bet they would be thrilled to tell you."

She growled behind the newspaper when Lavender Brown seated herself near Ron and flung her arms around his neck.

"Missed you, Ronnie," Lavender began. "Did you see Filch's notice in the hall?"

As Ron continued eating, despite Lavender's efforts to get all his attention, Harry filled his own plate and focused on his own problems. He had been looking forward to seeing Liliana this morning. He had decided to get closer to her, despite the fact that Ron's prophetic words were still fresh in his mind "…and be the joke of all the Slytherin House?"

Despite the closeness between the girl and Draco Malfoy, he thought she felt a little something for him. Otherwise, why would she have agreed to talk to him so openly the other day or smiled at him like that? In any case, Harry seriously thought of taking the risk of being rejected instead of waiting passively for something to happen. And Hogsmeade was an occasion to ask her out — in spite of his best friend's open opposition.

He absently touched his scar. It had hurt again the previous night, and he had lain awake for a while before managing to get back to sleep. However, this time around, he had not been able to feel anything that Voldemort was feeling, and he had been unable to see into the Dark Lord's mind. It was just unjustified, unwelcome pain that was void of any feeling, as it had been during his first year at Hogwarts.

He heard Lavender's voice as from miles away:

"I'm going to the Ravenclaw table to see if they know what is going on."

She detangled herself from Ron and finally left. His best mate seemed relieved. He turned towards Harry and said in a low voice, "I don't understand why she must always put on such a show."

_You don't, do you_? Harry was tempted to say. But he decided to be quiet; Hermione had decided to lift her eyes from the newspaper she had pretended to be reading.

"Mate," Ron continued to whisper to him, "if you are still planning to make a fool of yourself and ask Karkaroff on a date, then I should tell you that you might be in luck. The lovebirds had a row last night. I was doing my round when I ran into a furious Malfoy who was coming from the Quidditch pitch. And guess who I found on the Quidditch pitch, pretending to be looking for her wand?"

Harry almost spilled his pumpkin juice.

"Are you serious?"

"As serious as I can be, mate."

Harry avoided Hermione's piercing gaze.

"Thanks, Ron," he muttered. "But as you can see, they're not here; it's possible that they're together again."

"Honestly, why don't you just continue to ignore me? It wouldn't be the first time," Hermione suddenly burst out.

"Then, why don't you just leave us be? You'll get used to it, eventually," Ron retorted before Harry could stop him.

Ever since Ron had started dating Lavender Brown, Hermione had become increasingly moody. Harry guessed the cause, but he preferred to stay as neutral as possible, though he hated to see Hermione suffer from Ron's apparent indifference and the display he put on every time Lavender was around.

"Perhaps you could join Ginny and plan how to curse me," Ron continued rudely. "She seems to share your point of view. Where is my dear sister, by the way?"

Hermione gave him a nasty look, but answered him nevertheless: "I haven't seen her all morning, and I understand from the fifth years that she was not in her dorm last night. I wanted to discuss this with you, perhaps you can find Dean and ask him…"

"She was not with Dean," Ron said, worried now. "Where could she be? We need to find her before we go to class."

"Never mind, here she comes," said Hermione.

Indeed, the redhead was hastily entering the Great Hall.

"Glad you could join us, Ginny," Ron snapped as his sister seated herself near Hermione.

"Hi, everyone," she sing-sung gracefully, her cheeks flushing ever so slightly.

"I don't even want to know where you have been," Ron started angrily.

"Good, because I wasn't planning to tell you," Ginny said, pretending to be busy buttering a piece of toast.

Harry could feel that Ron was going to start screaming any second.

"Mum and Dad are going to hear about this, Ginny. I am your brother, and I am in charge of you…" Ron stopped abruptly when he noticed that no one was listening to him. Everyone else had suddenly gone very quiet, as a very disheveled and angry Draco Malfoy strode purposefully into the Great Hall. Harry could not help noticing that Malfoy's face looked tired and ashen, and he had dark circles under his eyes. His clothes also quite looked untidy for how well groomed his appearance normally was.

As he approached the Slytherin table, everyone seemed to recoil and regroup at the other end of the table, even Crabbe and Goyle.

Malfoy paid no attention to them and went directly to the teachers' table, stopping mutinously right in front of Snape, who immediately stood and grabbing his favorite student's arm, he hauled him out of the Great Hall at top speed.

"What's going on with the ferret-boy?" Ron asked gleefully. "Am I the only one under the impression that he is in some kind of trouble?"

* * *

Lavender reluctantly admitted during lunch that her endeavors to find out what was going on had failed lamentably: The Slytherins seemed keen on keeping their little secret to themselves.

Classes went on as usual. However, during the first course they had with the Slytherins, Harry couldn't help noting that Draco and Liliana weren't present. They had never skipped classes before; and against his better judgment, Harry couldn't help thinking that something was wrong. At least Malfoy had made that hasty appearance in the Great Hall, but Liliana was nowhere to be seen. Had she been given some kind of detention? Had she had a fight with Malfoy and ended up in the infirmary? That was even below Malfoy.

During Transfiguration, Hermione suddenly elbowed him.

"I think I finally have the answer to your question regarding the possible Slytherin heritage of Igor Karkaroff," she whispered to him. "See me just before dinner in the library, and I'll explain."

Harry nodded absentmindedly; Karkaroff's heritage was the last thing on his mind at that exact moment.

He was beginning to wonder if the disappearance of a student at Hogwarts could actually be considered as a minor fact by everyone else, when finally something happened in DADA.

As he took his usual place near Hermione, Harry noted again that Karkaroff and Malfoy were not present in the classroom. A second later, Snape appeared out of nowhere and moved soundlessly to sit behind his desk. His face was ashen, and there were deep black circles under his eyes. His black robes did nothing to help his unhealthy complexion. He folded his hands on the desk, his dark, fathomless eyes fixed somewhere above the heads of the students in the room.

"Looks like _Vampirin_ hasn't gotten his beauty sleep," Ron said under his breath, making Harry stir from his thoughts, which were still gravitating around Liliana's disappearance.

"Is that even a word?" Hermione snickered.

"Nah, I just invented it," Ron replied quietly.

Hermione gave him an appreciative look, one of those that made Harry feel like he should exit the room on the first occasion. At that precise moment, the door opened and Malfoy entered without excusing himself. He walked gracefully to his usual place as if class had not started.

Snape's reaction, on the other hand, had nothing graceful about it. Suddenly, he was out of his seat, his large robes whirling around his ankles. In three long strides, and before Malfoy even had the time to sit down, Snape was towering over his favorite student, seething with anger.

"Fifty points from Slytherin for being late to my class, Mr. Malfoy," he snapped.

Harry almost gasped as the rest of the class did, but not because Snape had taken points from his own House — even the amount of points for that matter — but because of his tone. It sounded just as menacing as when Snape addressed him — even worse. He felt a shiver run down his spine as Snape continued to fix Malfoy with a malicious look. Harry thought Malfoy would try to make an excuse or flatter Snape. Instead, the Slytherin drew himself to his full height ,which was almost as tall as the teacher, and slowly folded his arms. Without saying a word, he stared unflinchingly into Snape's eyes, his look equally menacing.

Tension was almost palpable in the room.

Then Snape spoke quietly, his tone dead dangerous, "Get out of my class. Now!"

Malfoy acquiesced with a spiteful nod of his head. Grabbing his bag with a fluid move, he was out of the door in the blink of an eye.

Harry heard Pansy Parkinson whimper quietly somewhere to his right as the door closed behind Malfoy.

Snape moved back to his place behind the desk.

"Open your books to page one hundred and sixty-nine," he said coolly. "Today we will practice the Imperius curse. Quietly," he added menacingly as murmurs started to rise in the classroom.

Harry's eyes never left Malfoy's empty seat.

* * *

Half an hour before dinner, Harry went to the library, his Invisibility cloak hidden in his pocket. He was determined to take a stroll after dinner in the dungeons. Suspense and worry were killing him. He'd had a lot of trouble concentrating since Liliana was nowhere to be seen. During lunch he had even gone to the Hospital Wing; the only people under Madam Pomfrey's care were two first years who had broken their legs on one of the moving staircases.

Hermione, true to her word, was already in the library. He suspected she had been there since they had finished classes almost two hours ago. But surprisingly, she was not reading; her books lay unopened on the desk, while she was gazing dreamily through the half open window. Harry wondered about Madam Pince's mental sanity when he felt how cold it was in the library. November was not a month when you could leave windows open at Hogwarts. However, Hermione did not seem bothered by it. He closed the window and took a seat on the other side of the desk. She snapped out of her reverie, her cheeks slowly coloring.

"Hi, Harry," she whispered.

"Hi. There is no need to whisper. Pince isn't in the library."

Hermione blinked, and then she gave him a pointed look.

"Harry, what is wrong with you?" she asked worriedly. "You've seemed distracted all day long."

"It's nothing Hermione," he lied. "You wanted to tell me something about Igor Karkaroff?"

Hermione did not seem to buy his excuse, but she let the matter drop for the moment.

"I think what you really wanted to know was the reason why Liliana Karkaroff wasn't sorted when she had first arrived at Hogwarts."

She stared at Harry, and he nodded, unimpressed by now by Hermione's sense of intuition. God forbid if they would ever be on opposite sides.

"Igor Karkaroff is a pureblood, but he had nothing to do with the Slytherin clan. I researched his family genealogy. And while I was doing that, I made an unexpected discovery. The truth has been staring us in the face the entire time."

"What do you mean?" he asked, looking at the book Hermione was holding in her hands. "You must be kidding me," he added when he saw the familiar title. The answer to that question lies in _Hogwarts, A History?_

Hermione's smile was smug.

"I told you and Ron many times, Harry. You should read this book. It would save you a lot of trouble."

"Enlighten me then."

Hermione opened the book to the first chapter, "The Founders," and turned it to Harry.

"Igor Karkaroff does not have Slytherin blood, but Liliana whatever her true name may be sure has," she said, indicating Salazar Slytherin's picture in the book.

Harry looked blankly at Salazar's sneering face.

"What has Salazar's picture got to do with Liliana?" he asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Look again, and you will see the similarity."

Harry almost gagged with laughter. "You actually mean to tell me that there are physical similarities between Liliana and this ugly, hateful, old man?"

"The eyes, Harry, the eyes. Just look, damn it!"

Reluctantly, he lifted the book and stared at it. He did not have to stare for long. He dropped the book in astonishment.

"Hermione…you meant the color of the eyes. It's the same unusual green.'

Hermione could hardly suppress a smile when she saw his shocked expression.

"Yes, Harry. I have not tried to think of the implications of a _pureblood_ heir of Slytherin at Hogwarts. After all that Voldemort did when he was here…"

"But Hermione, you don't actually think that Liliana is here to kill Muggleborns, do you? Not to mention that the basilisk is dead anyway."

"I don't know why she is here, Harry," Hermione replied mildly. "But I am convinced that she's not here without a reason. She may be the heir Salazar prophesized. After all, she's something Voldemort isn't: She's a pureblood. Salazar would have never recognized someone who was not a pureblood as his heir."

Harry hesitated for a moment.

"So Malfoy was not giving us his usual crap then," he said. "She really is Salazar's descendant."

"Look, Harry," Hermione explained quietly, her eyes never leaving him for a second. "I think she's been trying to give you a message all this time. She may not be here to kill Muggleborns, but she is here on a mission Snape and Dumbledore are aware of; otherwise they would have sent her away by now. She really wants to do her job and be left alone. She has no scruples; she's not like you or I or other people we know. If you keep interfering with whatever she is up to, she will not hesitate to hurt you. You saw what happened when you played against her and Malfoy. She put you in mortal danger just to win a game. This girl is all about accomplishing her goal, and she will do whatever necessary to accomplish it. I would stop stalking her if I were you. I would leave her alone."

"But, Hermione, I am not stalking her, and…"

"Honestly, Harry! I am really worried for you. Try to be reasonable. I think you are really besotted with this girl, and it's turning into an unhealthy obsession. Don't think that I don't see you spending all our meals staring at the Slytherin table. Please don't try to lie to me."

She gave him an almost pleading look.

Harry set his jaw. "Very well. First, you should know that I am not _besotted_ with her. I am merely interested in whatever she is plotting. If you really want to know, she told me that her mission has something to do with Voldemort. I think she is trying to take my place as the Chosen One in this war. That's why I am not letting her out of my sight."

"So now you're the Chosen One!" Hermione snapped furiously.

"Yes, I am. I have always been, whether I liked it or not, since he gave me this scar," he replied heatedly pointing to his forehead. "Why should I not be now when we are months or maybe weeks from a confrontation?"

"_Because_ Harry, you are delusional if you think you can defeat Voldemort or even escape with your life if he gets his hands on you once more," Hermione almost shouted. "Last year it was a miracle that you got away. I don't know that Liliana has a better chance against him, but at least she's initiated to the Dark Arts. And she did well against Bellatrix, if you remember."

"Hermione, I do not contest that she is a talented witch. I am just saying that I am not ready to give up _my_ role in this fight."

"Fine, Harry, then continue to act like a fool and put yourself in danger as you please. I think I have given you enough warnings. Both you and Ron are acting like you have lost all common sense lately. Have a nice evening!" She stood up furiously, and before Harry could do anything to stop her she was out of the library.

He remained on the spot gapping like a fish. He had rarely seen Hermione so mad. Only Ron managed to make her lose her temper this way.

He looked back to the book on the desk, wondering if Hermione's reaction had been fueled by her growing irritation with Ron's behavior over the last few weeks and his newly acquired girlfriend. He even muttered a not-very-convincing "women," but it didn't help his state of mind. If he were honest with himself, Hermione was probably one hundred percent right about his strange attitude lately. After all he had been through during his fifth year at Hogwarts, he should have known better than hide things from his friends and keep them away from them while playing with fire.

It was not the right thing to do, but he had known from the very beginning that they would not take his growing interest in Liliana very well. And in the light of what Hermione had just told him, they were even less likely to tolerate the situation better now. He had no other option but to keep lying to them.

It was hard to accept that he was actually lying, because until that very morning he had also been lying to himself, pretending that all interest he held for Liliana was related to their rivalry and nothing more.

The evening before, he had even decided not to follow her around anymore.

And now she had suddenly disappeared, and Harry had to admit he was worried.

He had no idea where she could be, but he was sure about one thing: Malfoy knew what was going on. He needed to corner him as soon as possible. He stood and proceeded towards the library door; but just when he was preparing to exit, the sound of familiar voices stopped him.

The shelves full of books obscured the two people arguing, but he did not need to see them to know who they were. That is why their conversation sounded incredibly wrong to Harry's ears.

"Please don't do this, Draco," the girl's tone was pleading. "You'll get killed for sure."

There was a pause and then Malfoy replied: "I'd never have thought that you of all people would try to stop me in this particular endeavor." He tried to make it sound funny, but his voice was too tired for the effect.

Harry threw on his invisibility cloak and moved quietly around the shelves to see with his eyes what his ears could not really be hearing.

The girl sighed and did not press on.

Harry finally spotted them, and he would have jumped immediately to the girl's rescue if he hadn't noted at the last moment that it was she who was the one blocking the blond Slytherin's way.

"Let's leave things the way they are, Weaselette, for your sake. I don't know what you're playing at, but this change of attitude is much more frightening than the petty insults you used to throw at me."

"Just think about it, will you? Don't do anything rush." Ginny said then moved away from him, clearing the way.

Draco gave her a perplexed look and then exited the library. Harry waited for him to disappear, before sneaking out as well, his mind completely blank after the incredible piece of conversation he had just heard.

* * *

At dinner that evening Harry sat with Ron as usual. Ginny and Hermione joined them for dessert. Hermione gave Harry meaningful looks all evening, which he tried his best to ignore.

When they finished, he got up decidedly and headed for the Slytherin table where Malfoy had been sitting all by himself during dinner, blatantly ignoring the rest of his gang.

Just as Harry moved his way, Malfoy got up and prepared to leave as well. When his cold, grey eyes set on Harry, he looked almost surprised.

"What can I do for you, Potty?" he asked tiredly.

"I need to talk to you about Liliana," Harry said conversationally.

Malfoy raised an eyebrow.

"What about her?"

"I haven't seen her in a while, and I wanted to ask you where she is."

"You have no business with her, Potter," the Slytherin said casually, running a hand through his hair, his eyes already fixing something over Harry's shoulder.

"As a matter of fact, I think I do," Harry snapped, annoyed by Malfoy's attitude. The prat was acting like he wasn't there. And even though Harry was dying of angst because he didn't know where Liliana was … _What the hell? _Harry mused_. What was that thought? Am I really worried for her?_

He stopped his musings because Malfoy had elbowed him out of his way and moved sharply to catch up with Snape who had just exited. He heard some giggles from the Ravenclaw table.

"I haven't finished with you yet, Malfoy!" Harry called angrily after him.

"Well, I have finished with you, Potter," Malfoy replied without looking back.

Some other giggles were heard.

Harry followed him, intent on stopping him to go after Snape, but Malfoy had already whirled back at him, his face white with fury.

"Potter, understand once and for all that I am not in the mood for playing games with you. Why don't you go back to signing autographs? Your fans are waiting for you." He gestured to a group of girls who were blatantly staring at them.

"Malfoy, you don't understand." The words left his mouth before he could prevent them: "I am worried for her. Please tell me what's going on."

For a long moment, Malfoy stared at him blankly. Then he blinked and pressed his lips into a hard line. Harry could read amusement in his look and something else that he had trouble deciphering. Realization perhaps?

"Potter, this is Slytherin business," he said and turned again to leave, but Harry grabbed his arm.

"Malfoy please…"

The face that the blond Slytherin turned to him was no longer blank. He shoved Harry's arm violently.

"Potter, if you don't fuck off you'll be sorry Voldemort did not kill you." His tone was irrevocable, and for the first time in his life, Harry understood that Malfoy was not bluffing. There was a sort of finality to his entire attitude that sent chills through Harry. Malfoy was no longer the cowardly prat he used to know. Something had changed in him. Harry didn't know what it was, but there had been a tangible change. The Malfoy Harry knew would have never said Voldemort's name.

He let go of Draco's arm, and the Slytherin left immediately without looking back. Ignoring the stares of his friends, he waited for him to move out of sight. He did not need to follow him to know where he was going. He was now convinced that for some reason Liliana was in Snape's custody or care.

He had some investigations to do in Slytherin.

Draco ran after Snape at full speed, taking three steps at a time until he reached the bottom of the stairs in the dark corridor leading to the professor's office.

"Wait, Professor, wait!" he called when he caught a glimpse of Snape's black cloak disappear around the corner. Severus deliberately ignored him, but Draco was not ready to give up. He found the door to his office locked with a special spell, but that did not stop him. Draco tapped his wand on the door, muttering a password to the snake carved on the doorknob.

Snape was waiting on the other side of the door, leaning against his desk, arms crossed and a meaningful glare in his dark eyes.

"I don't recall inviting you in, Draco. This is not a very common incantation."

"Courtesy of Voldemort," the student said, "and it is not an incantation, it's a universal key. You might remember he used it to enter Liliana's room."

He noticed Severus' slightest wince when he pronounced the Dark Lord's name.

"Why are you here?" he asked, moving to sit behind his desk. "I thought we had reached an agreement this morning."

"It was a one-sided _agreement_ then, Professor, because I don't remember accepting your terms."

An imperceptible frown clouded Severus' forehead. He leaned back, surveying Draco with detached sort of look.

His favorite student stood in front of the desk, his palms clenched at his sides, his eyes narrowed, and his entire attitude belligerent.

"I see there's no way to reason with you," he finally said broodingly. It sure appeared so, since Malfoy was ready to start another argument with him even after two heated discussions and losing an important number of points for his House.

"I guess not."

"I think I told you that there are certain reasons why I am not embarking on any crazy plan to go there. The headmaster did not return last night like he was supposed to. Something must be delaying him, some unexpected difficulty. I cannot leave the school while he is gone. I would leave you all in danger. That is the first reason. Second, if the Dark Lord does not call me, and I go uninvited, I make a very big mistake. He would immediately know something was wrong. Too many people at Malfoy Mannor have repeatedly tried to damask me as a traitor before the Dark Lord, your family included. Third, I do not believe that he means to kill her. If he had wanted that, he would have done it as soon as he entered her room last night."

Draco had not moved an inch while Snape spoke in his quiet voice.

"He is unpredictable, and you know it. And she would say anything to just drive him mad. She will not make it alive without help. I need to go, Professor. If you don't come, I'll go alone."

With that, he turned to the door.

"I'll make you a deal," he heard Snape say as he touched the doorknob. "Give me until Dumbledore returns. Even if the Dark Lord does not call for me, I will go when the headmaster is back."

"It's not enough. Dumbledore will talk 'sense' into you, Professor. You will not go. See you."

"Draco, wait!" Snape called, following him in the dark corridor. "Have you lost your mind? You can't possibly think about going there alone! How do you think that your death will help Liliana? Because you are as good as dead."

"Together we will make it," Draco said decidedly. "You can't imagine the kind of magic she is able to do. We can make it out of there alive if it's the two of us. She just needs a wand. Most of the idiots populating that house are far below her abilities."

Snape didn't say anything for a few seconds. He simply stared at Draco in the dim light.

"I'll put this as simply as possible, Draco, so you understand me. _She is not ready_. No matter what she showed you, no matter how many spells she knows, or how much dark magic, she is not ready for the Dark Lord. She is not ready to kill, and she is not ready to confront the kind of magic _he_ uses."

There was another tense pause. Then Draco took a step in Snape's direction.

"Maybe you are right. But I can't let her die knowing that I could have done something to save her. It seems that in the end, I am her only friend. I'll give you until tomorrow night. If he does not call you or Dumbledore does not return, I'll go anyway."

Furiously, Malfoy turned on his heel and made to leave, but he ran into something behind him. Someone, apparently, when Harry Potter's invisibility cloak fell to the ground, revealing its owner crouched with his hand clutching at his abdomen.

"Malfoy, you idiot," he murmured under his breath.

In a second, Snape was near them and snatching Harry's cloak.

"So, finally we know how Potter's head could float around Hogwarts without the accompanying body to sustain it. That is what you probably saw years ago and you could not prove, Draco. You just made Filch a very happy man, Potter. Well, I guess you will now have detention every Saturday until the end of the year."

Harry managed to straighten his pose. Malfoy had lit his wand and was looking curiously at the item in Snape's hand.

"Actually, Professor, that cloak is mine. It's been missing, and I did not know what happened to it. I thought Crabbe or Goyle had taken it. Can I get it back?"

Harry was about to protest vehemently when he thought he saw Malfoy wink at him. For a moment, he believed he was starting to lose it, but then he realized that there was a tiny chance to recover his cloak from Malfoy; if Snape had it, he would have to consider it lost forever.

Snape eyed them suspiciously but complied with Draco's request.

"Whatever you may have heard, Potter, you'd better forget it until tomorrow morning. It's none of your business," he unnecessarily pointed out.

"Professor, Liliana … is she?" he had trouble even pronouncing the words.

Ever since Malfoy had stepped out of Snape's office, and he had started saying those insane words about going somewhere to save Liliana from Voldemort, Harry had frozen in place. Ice seemed to flow through his veins.

"She is alive, Potter. Now go back to your dorm. You are very lucky we are still before curfew."

Malfoy nodded in Snape's direction and disappeared in the dark; Harry moved to catch up with him.

"Malfoy, my cloak, please," he said, grabbing Draco's arm.

"Calm down, Potter. I wasn't planning on keeping it. I need to borrow it for a couple of days. It's either that or I tell Snape it's not mine. Is that a deal?"

"Deal," Harry answered reflexively. "But I also need something from you."

"I don't think I owe you anything, Potter. Besides, I don't have any magical object that could possibly interest you."

Malfoy had now stopped in front of the secret entrance to the Slytherin Common room and was looking impatiently at Harry.

"How does he know she is alive?" the other boy asked in a quiet voice.

It was his tone that worried Draco. It was as though their enmity did not matter to Potter anymore now that he had heard about Liliana being in Voldemort's hands.

He lifted his wand hand and stared into Harry's pale face. The dark green eyes of his rival stared feverishly at him. Before he could stop himself, he poured out all his worries to Potter, all the unanswered questions that had been tormenting him for the last twenty-four hours.

"We don't, and that's the problem. We can't be sure of anything," he said. "And Snape is not willing to go there because it might screw his cover. Damn him and his stupid cover! Between you and me, Voldemort is the only one who still believes Snape's on his side. All the Death Eaters dislike him. It's just a matter of time before someone will be smart enough to unmask him as a traitor."

"How did this happen?" whispered Harry.

"You mean to tell me you don't know?" the ghost of Malfoy's sarcastic laugh haunted the dark dungeons like a lost soul. "Every one of these stupid bastards in the Slytherin House knows. How is it possible?

When Harry did not answer and continued to stare at him with the same look, Draco continued: "They don't give a shit of course about what might happen to a colleague. The great Slytherin unity! What a joke!" He stopped his reflections on his colleagues and looked at Potter, his fury vanishing: "Voldemort simply popped in yesterday evening and took Liliana with him. Of course he used Cruciatus on her first, the bastard."

Harry saw him unconsciously clenching his fists; without realizing it, he was doing the same thing.

"You mean he showed up in Hogwarts?"

"I mean he was in our Common Room with five Death Eaters. He entered Liliana's room. We had no idea what was going on until he exited, pulling her after him. By the way she was trembling though, it was clear that he had used the Cruciatus. They left afterwards."

"Why is Liliana so important to him?"

Malfoy gave him a killer look.

"What is it, Potter? Did you just realize that in all these years you were just not interesting enough to Voldemort and that's why he didn't burst in here and kill you? It sure seems so."

"Don't be ridiculous, Malfoy," Harry answered quietly.

Draco's stare was scorching.

"The size of your ego never ceases to amaze me, Potter," he stated. "I know why she is so important to him, of course, but it is none of your business. If she chooses to tell you, it will be her decision."

"Very well, Malfoy. Don't tell me. It is none of my business. Tell me something else. Are you planning to go after her? It seemed so, back there."

"That is also none of your business, Potter."

With that, Draco turned around to say the password.

"If you decide to go, then it might be my business after all," Harry whispered.

Malfoy froze, his back turned to Potter. When he finally turned around, the other boy had vanished into the dark corridor.

* * *

A/N: Ok, so maybe the previous chapter was a little bit too violent, but I don't like OOC, especially when it comes to Voldemort. So this chapter is "lighter" and focuses on the other main characters. Happy reading:))


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: I would like to excuse myself for the long delay in submitting this chapter. Please enjoy!

* * *

**CHAPTER 17**

**IN THE DEATH EATERS' LAYER**

The full moon was up in the sky when Tom steered his broom south-east, in the direction of Malfoy Manor. He did not glance behind to see how close the other Death Eaters had followed. He also ignored the predictable, "Milord, shouldn't we Apparate?" question from Crabbe. He needed time to think, though under the present circumstances it was a hard thing to do.

Those damn eyes had never left him for one second from the moment he and his followers had kicked off. The intensity of her stare seemed to burn a painful hole through his skull; it unsettled him to no end because this could mean only one thing: She had also felt the unusual, incredible wave of magic between them. Tom did not know how to interpret it, what its nature was, and most important _why_ it had happened.

It felt strange, as if he had been face to face with the most important decision of his life, and he had taken it on pure instinct, without an instant of thinking. What was wrong with him?

The problem was that he had no idea what to do with the girl now. It was as if the consequences of not killing her the very moment he had seen her were now turning into a heavy, insufferable burden.

Something had changed.

Reluctantly, he threw her a short glance over his right shoulder, hoping she would not stare at him. He hoped in vain though, because the moment he turned his head, their eyes locked again. She did not look frightened, and that displeased him further; in the dark, it was hard to decipher the emotion in her eyes, and he was in no mood for Legilimency.

As if she had read his thoughts — though he knew that it was virtually impossible — she buried her face in Lucius' shoulder. Somehow this managed to annoy him even more.

He swore inwardly and concentrated on his previous thoughts. There had to be some kind of explanation for the wave of magic. It sometimes happened when powerful wizards were confronted. He had felt something of the same nature when he had fought Cesare and Lilah Slytherin. He had felt something like that the last time he had confronted Dumbledore.

But this was somehow different. It was not something that had _hurt_ either of them. The energy had felt good, warming, and protective.

It was madness. It made no sense at all.

Tom swore again under his breath, wishing Lucius Malfoy's broom would suddenly zoom out of control, and Liliana Slytherin would fall off. It was a long way down.

_This is ridiculous. I am not afraid of a girl._ _I am not afraid of anyone_.

There was a reason why he had not killed her. He had somehow known that she would prove useful to him.

_But how?_

She was a huge danger to him. It was bad enough that the Death Eaters had joined him, with few exceptions, out of fear since he had returned. If they knew she was Salazar's pureblood heiress, they might start believing they could get rid of him. Trouble was just around the corner.

Another thing about this girl was that she was powerful. He had no idea how her skills were, but her raw power was incredible. He had never met someone with that level of magic before. Her uncontrolled magic might have triggered the energy field in the first place. Tom was good at controlling his magic. Letting it loose meant wasting it. Nevertheless, she had managed to make him lose control of his magic.

He never lost control. He could not allow it; it was far too dangerous. Frustration washed over him, and he abruptly stopped his broom. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he had actually lost the way. He had no idea whatsoever where they were.

Bellatrix caught up with him.

"Milord, may I ask where we are going?"

Tom turned his head. He could smell the salty, marine aroma in the air. The sea was close. They were not very far from the manor after all.

"Lead the people back to the manor," he ordered. "Wait for me in the yard. I shall not be long."

Bella bowed her head.

"One more thing," said Tom. "Make sure her head is covered when you arrive at the mansion."

She stared at him, comprehension settling slowly on her features. Then she turned her broom away, and soon all Death Eaters were gone. Tom steered his broom in the opposite direction. The sound of waves always helped him relax. He had some thinking to do.

Liliana watched Voldemort disappear into the night with a certain amount of relief. She was wondering for the tenth time that day how much longer she was going to survive in his company. One thing that Draco had repeated to her many times was that Voldemort was the most unpredictable human being he had ever met. It was not the fact that his mood would swing when least expected, it was that he was emotionless. His decisions were dictated only by facts and never by the way he _felt_ in any way about someone or something. Very rarely he would be submerged by fury, and then someone would have to suffer his wrath.

Liliana had no choice but to trust Draco's sense of observation. Since she had met Voldemort in person, she had been in the unfortunate situation of being that someone who would suffer his wrath.

And so had her parents been.

Their first encounter had not been the one she had expected.

Not only had the Dark Lord managed to surprise her in one of her most vulnerable moments but her inability to confront him as she had always hoped had put her in a desperate mood.

Merlin, he was powerful, Liliana thought. No one had the right to be that powerful. Most great wizards controlled their magic, so it was hard to realize how strong they were until the moment you actually confronted them. Voldemort was more than just a great wizard. He was powerful beyond words, and she simply did not want to test that again. The _Cruciatus_ had nearly left her unconscious.

She could now understand why Voldemort could not been just another wizard, even one with an important job in the Ministry for Magic. When you are that gifted, it is impossible not to feel larger than life at some point. Madness is just one step away.

Bellatrix materialized somewhere to her right. She pulled off her hooded robe and threw it into Lucius' hands.

"Cover her entirely. Order of the Dark Lord."

Lucius obeyed and put the robe on Liliana's shoulders.

"Do as she says," he told her as Bellatrix flew away from them.

A moment later, he felt Liliana's hand squeezing his arm.

"Can you guess his intentions?" she asked softly in his ear.

Lucius did not turn, nor did he speak. But suddenly she could hear him crystal clear in her head.

"Act naturally," he began. "Bellatrix might know we are communicating. I can't be too sure."

Liliana tried to form some coherent thoughts, but it was clear that she could not pass the message to Lucius. He could nevertheless read her mind.

"Yes, it is Legilimency," she heard him again. "Some of the Death Eaters use it to communicate when they are close enough. Narcissa and I use this a lot since we have no more privacy in our home. But we cannot use it in _his_ presence for obvious reasons."

Liliana shivered.

"I have no idea what his intentions are," he continued, coming back to the subject. "You should know better. I don't know what happened in that room."

This time Liliana preferred to focus her thoughts on anything else than on what had happened at Hogwarts that evening.

"Very well." Lucius seemed slightly annoyed, but he did not press the matter. "One thing though: We don't know each other, and you don't know Narcissa. Let's keep safe."

Liliana nodded in his back. Then, there was silence as Lucius landed his broom and their eyes met the most unexpected sight: about ten Death Eaters were gathered on the lawn in front of the Malfoy mansion staring at a man who was hanging upside down. The person responsible for all the show seemed to be Narcissa Malfoy, who was pointing a wand at the man, while the others were making fun.

"Cissy, what are you doing to Dolohov? Let him down," Bellatrix ordered.

Narcissa turned to her very suddenly, a fierce look on her face. Dolohov landed painfully on his back.

"That was the last time you gave orders in my house, my dear sister," she said through gritted teeth. The two sisters looked at each other tensely for a few seconds, then Bellatrix backed off.

"It was the order of the Dark Lord," Bellatrix said softly.

Narcissa threw her a disdainful look.

"Where have you been?" she asked.

"Hogwarts," Lucius said. "Draco is safe," he added seeing his wife turn white.

Narcissa's eyes flew instantly to the tall figure behind Lucius, her face hidden by the cloak of her robe. Several murmurs were heard.

"Another teacher?" someone asked loudly.

Bellatrix roughly grabbed Liliana's arm.

"Don't you dare take that hood off," she hissed.

Liliana stared at the Death Eaters who were curiously staring back. They knew Voldemort was planning to put on a show for his entertainment and to seed more fear in their hearts. They just wondered who the new victim would be.

"Who have you brought us here, Bellatrix?" one tall and dark Death Eater asked.

"None of your business, Rookwood," she growled in response, pulling Liliana towards the house.

But Rookwood planted himself before Lestrange, towering over her menacingly.

"Which one of the teachers is it?" he insisted.

"Move out my sight!" she ordered, taking her wand out.

Rookwood was unimpressed. He crossed his hands over his chest, showing he had no intention of backing off. It was the wrong thing to do because Bella's curse threw him to the ground.

"The Dark Lord…" she started, but Rookwood had also drawn his wand. "Who put you in charge, you bitch? _Crucio_!" he screamed, pointing the wand at Lestrange. Someone shouted. It could have been Lucius, but Bella was not sure. She instinctively pushed Liliana in front of the red light to protect herself.

She waited for Karkaroff to fall, scream, or both, but instead there was complete silence. Rookwood, on his knees, was gaping at the hooded person in front of him. His wand was no longer in his hand but in Karkaroff's.

Bella did not have the time to react when Karkaroff turned swiftly to her, her other hand pulling her hood off her dark head. She saw the girl's lips forming the curse, and she knew what would come. She was not ready to die.

"What a pathetic crowd," a high-pitch voice observed. Everything around her seemed to freeze, and Bella threw herself to the ground. It was useless, though: The wand had already disappeared from Karkaroff's hand.

Voldemort walked slowly onto the lawn. His frame was so thin, that it looked as though he were floating. He stopped in front of the kneeling Augustus Rookwood who was looking in horror at his master. Voldemort was holding Rookwood's wand in his palm.

"So you now contest my orders, Augustus?" he asked, but it sounded more like a statement than as a question.

The Death Eater did not have time to react. The killing curse fell.

"Nagini!" Voldemort hissed. He observed the terrified expression on his followers' faces with some satisfaction; he then passed Karkaroff by without even sparing her as much as a look.

"Take her to the dungeon. Now!" he ordered Bellatrix, who seemed to be in a complete trance.

The heavy silence that followed his departure was interrupted only minutes later when Bellatrix raised to her feet and grabbed Liliana's arm again. To everyone's horror Nagini slithered from the nearby forest toward Rookwood's body. Even Bellatrix backed away from the vicious creature.

"We will all have the same fate sooner or later," someone said quietly, but no one dared to oppose Nagini.

The snake slithered closer to Rookwood and then suddenly raised her head in expectation, as if sensing an immediate danger. Her red eyes settled on Liliana's figure, and she stiffened.

"Move girl, if you don't want to become her dinner. Not that I wouldn't enjoy the show," Bellatrix said.

Liliana followed Bellatrix, still glancing behind at the furious, huge serpent.

It was a complete disaster.

Tom fell on the couch in his room in a state of utter despair. How long would it be before he would lose control in front of the Death Eaters, and they would notice? He nearly had this evening. A valuable follower, now dead, was proof of his inability to master himself in Liliana's presence.

It was just a matter of time before they noticed he was over his head. They would notice he was weak. They would gather the courage to strike him down.

He pressed his aching temples.

He had to get rid of her before it was too late.

A few hours later, Liliana was sitting on the cold, damp floor in the darkness of Lucius' dungeon. It was such a paradox. As kids, she and Draco had enjoyed hiding in these terrifying rooms while playing hide and seek. They had always seemed a bit creepy, but that had never stopped them from having their fun.

Now it was anything else but fun.

As soon as Voldemort figured out that she was of no value to him, she would be dead.

She had seen him kill that evening, and she knew he would not hesitate to kill her. She had hours, maybe one day, before he would decide what to do with her.

She had always thought she was ready for this, but now she knew she was not ready to go without a fight.

She would do anything in her power to stay alive. She would crawl through hell if she had to.

Suddenly, she heard noise. Someone was cautiously coming towards her cell.

"Liliana!" Narcissa's voice called quietly.

"Aunt Cissy," Liliana whispered. "I am here."

"I was sure it was you. Lucius would not admit it, but I knew immediately the bastard had gone after you. He had no other business at Hogwarts."

"How about Potter and the old man?" Liliana asked, a hint of irony in her voice.

"They are due for later," Narcissa answered as her face came into the light. She looked pale and nervous. She searched Liliana's eyes. Her hood was off, and the girl gave her a tired smile.

"I need to get out of here, Aunt Cissy. It will not be long before he will send for me."

"He just asked Lucius to bring the prisoner," Narcissa said, her hand resting on Liliana's head.

"All good things come to an end, so it seems," Liliana said, biting her lower lip. "Can you give me a few minutes?"

"We will be right back," Narcissa said and went away.

Liliana sat back on the ground, her head resting on her knees.

A few minutes later, when Lucius came for her, she sat up and followed him without saying a word.

Voldemort was alone in the council room, sitting in his high armchair, when Lucius brought Liliana into the room. He seemed lost in his thoughts, but he raised his head at the intrusion. His red pupils settled on Liliana.

"Leave us!" he ordered Lucius.

As soon as the Death Eaters disappeared, he spoke: "You know why I brought you here."

It was not a question.

Her green eyes locked with his.

"To kill me."

"No. Before. When we were at Hogwarts."

"You wanted an answer."

"An answer?"

"I want it, too," she said, coming closer to him.

Voldemort made a tremendous effort not to shift in his chair.

"I don't know why it happened either. Now that you know I don't have the answer, you _could_ kill me."

Liliana had to appeal to all her training to master the tremble in her voice.

"You mean, I _will _kill you," he snapped.

"I might not have the answer to your question, but that answer is not what you desire most in this world."

"How could you possible know what I desire most?" he asked scornfully.

Liliana's eyes did not leave his own.

"It was not hard to guess," she said softly. "You want to be yourself again. It's only natural."

Voldemort's hand closed around his wand.

"What are you rambling about, you stupid girl?"

Liliana closed the remaining distance between them.

"How would you like your old body back?" she whispered into his ear. "I can give you that. Would it be a fair trade for my life?"

* * *


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 18**

**Rowena's Sacrifice**

It was as if something had exploded inside him and tore his entire being into little pieces. The thought of being himself again — a normal human being with a human appearance, normal eyes, a normal mouth, and a strong body — was something he had banished from his mind a long time ago, because he knew it was impossible. His old body was gone. All he could conceive through magic he already had, and it had cost him great effort.

How dare she bring up this issue? Was she mad?

Liliana stepped back a little but continued to watch him attentively.

"Such a thing is unattainable, girl," he replied in a controlled voice after a few seconds. He raised his wand.

Liliana did not flinch. She had confirmation now. She had guessed what he desired most.

"It is perfectly achievable. It is something I can provide. Of course, we will need a Potions master. I don't know how to prepare that concoction."

"Don't waste my time. There is no such thing."

"It's old magic, but it exists. The only case confirmed by historians is the one of Rowena Ravenclaw's daughter. There are certain conditions, of course, but we can follow all of them."

As Voldemort continued to stare at her without saying anything, Liliana continued. "Rowena's daughter fell ill when she was only 13 years old. The girl was the only family the witch had, so she was desperate to keep her alive. After several failed attempts by the mediwizards to cure her, it was clear that the girl would die; the disease was mutilating her body in a terrible way. So, at that point she started to make a potion…"

Voldemort lowered his wand. He was clearly interested in the story.

"…that would cure the girl, if the mother agreed to provide her own magical energy to the girl. The transfer was done through the potion. They both survived. Apparently, it weakened Rowena considerably, but she considered it a normal sacrifice for her daughter. And, it seems that after the transfer was completed, the girl's body was normal again."

"This could only be a legend," Voldemort said after thinking for a few moments.

"The potions ingredients and preparation are still in the book I read. It can't just be a legend. It could be it was the only time it worked. It is a complicated process, and there are some conditions for the transfer to work."

He was silent again. Liliana took it as encouragement: "The potion must be perfect. The two individuals must be relatives. The person who transfers his magical energy must agree to this… It is clear that the person will never be whole again."

"What if the potion fails?"

Liliana hesitated. "Then both will probably die," she said eventually.

Voldemort's derisive laugh filled the room.

"By the book, I am already dead. No danger there."

She looked cross, and he laughed again.

"And resurrected…" he added. "Anyway, it's a disgrace you still believe in fairytales. You are a little too old for that, don't you think, _dear cousin_?"

Liliana frowned.

"I thought that would interest you."

He stood and came closer to her.

"So what do I need from you except your good will?"

Liliana managed not to back off as he towered over her.

"A drop of my blood. Snape can tell you everything he needs for this potion."

"So you want to involve Severus in this."

"If you can brew it, then go ahead. But _I_ would prefer not to die. My blood must survive."

Voldemort's eyes lit up with fury, and he grabbed her arm, his nails digging into her skin painfully.

"Do not get so excited about the past, cousin. The religion of the purebloods is as dead as you will soon be. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I read Rowena's story many years ago while I was trying to get into this body. It meant nothing to me at the time. The only difference now is that I have discovered a living relative. I did not know what purpose you would serve when I took you from Hogwarts, but I knew you would be useful for something. Thanks for telling me for what. Now about that drop of your blood…" He took a knife out of his pocket.

Liliana did not fight him. She raised her free arm.

"You missed the point, cousin."

He smirked.

"It must be _willingly given_," she said.

Voldemort fixed her with a pondering look.

"It's all about sacrifice…old magic. It was love that made Rowena sacrifice her magic for her daughter," Liliana continued.

He laughed again and let go of her hand.

"What do I have to do to gain your love, my cousin?"

She put some distance between them while rubbing her arm.

"You have to let me go," she said.

He meditated for a few seconds.

"All right. If this succeeds, I will let you leave unharmed. This time."

He made a move as if to exit.

"I have not finished yet," she said coldly.

"Excuse me?"

"I want something else."

He stared back at her.

"But I will ask for it later."

"I need to know now," he replied.

She hesitated. "It's just knowledge. It's not a material object."

"Now or never."

"Do you want the transfer, or not?"

It was the first time in decades that the Dark Lord had to make a concession.

* * *

Draco stood up suddenly when he heard the door of his room opening slowly in the middle of the night and grabbed his wand. He tried to accustom his eyes to the dark, but before he could actually see anything, somebody's hand was pressed against his mouth preventing him from speaking. Then he heard Snape's silky voice in his ear.

"Draco, come with me. We need to talk, and I don't have much time."

Draco squinted across the room where Zabini was sleeping. No one had noticed Snape's presence. Crabbe and Goyle were snoring soundly.

He slowly nodded, and Severus let go of him. He pocketed his wand and followed Snape down the stairs to the common room.

"The Dark Lord has requested my presence," Severus stated. "I need you to stay here. When Dumbledore returns, inform him about Liliana."

"Is she still alive?"

"I don't know that. He simply requested me. I need to go now. Please don't do anything rash. And be careful about Potter. He is probably spying on you since he heard our discussion."

Draco nodded and said, "You have three days. If you don't come back, I'll have to go too."

Snape stared at him in irritation.

"If you are adamant about this, I feel sorry for you — and for myself, since I took an Unbreakable Vow to protect you."

He turned on his heel and left the room. Draco spent the rest of the night in front of the fireplace planning his first big adventure — or maybe his last.

* * *

Liliana watched Voldemort from under her eyelashes. He was bent over a table near a cauldron preparing the necessary ingredients for the Draught of Life, Rowena Ravenclaw's famous potion. She pretended not to be interested in his work; but in reality, she knew she was privy to an unusual event — seeing the infamous Dark Lord at work. She was playing indifferent, pretending that she was looking through the window and that brewing this potion was of no interest to her.

Voldemort checked the book once more and then lit a fire under cauldron.

"Why must you start without Snape?" she asked against her better will. She was not ready to die because of an unfruitful experiment.

He turned around, looking amused.

"You really are afraid of dying, aren't you? After the bunch of fools I have met recently proclaiming that they'd rather die than live under my rule, it's refreshing sentiment — almost a healthy one, I would say."

Liliana gave up on her game and met his gaze.

"I would hate to die in vain. I was trained to bring you to your knees. I'd like to think I was born for this. I am not ready to die without a proper fight."

Voldemort laughed cynically. "I doubt there was a purpose for you coming into this world. If I were really mean, I would simply tell you that you were probably here to help me become greater than ever. With my strength back, no one will ever challenge my power. But if I am to be honest, it might be that you were supposed to be the little princess of the Slytherin family and inherit their power and riches. I just happened to be there — the villain who was at the wrong place, at the wrong time — and threw your life on a different course. I am not sorry, for we are here today, and I need your blood more than anything else. You want your freedom, and I have to let you go."

"You realize that it is just a matter of time before I will be able to end your days, while this pact of ours will have terrible consequences on the order of the Wizarding world. You are giving me the ultimate weapon, and you know that. You are aware that you buy yourself a few days with a huge price. This will be the end of the Old Rule. Mine will begin after that."

"Why must you make things even more difficult for me?" she asked, jumping from the window sill where she was seated.

"You are a Slytherin. It can't be so difficult. You can't afford a conscience."

"You are wrong," she started. Then she stopped abruptly, because she did not want to give him even more information that he already had. She wanted to tell him how wrong he was, for she had been raised by Karkaroff to protect the wizarding world — not to sell it for her own freedom.

He laughed again and started to chop an unidentified plant. She came closer to him and let her eyes wander over the table.

He seemed to know what he was doing; his moves were sure, natural. She threw him a pondering look. He did not even seem concerned.

For some reason, she suddenly remembered his diary, the beauty and perfection of his writing.

The door opened slowly and Snape walked in purposefully.

"You have summoned me, milord," he said quietly.

He did not show any surprise at seeing Voldemort and Liliana in the same room brewing a potion. She admired his training. It felt good to see him there, but she had no idea how Snape would take what seemed like a terrible betrayal to their cause.

"We are trying to brew the Draught of Life, Severus," Voldemort explained. "I think there is a way to recover my old appearance and strength."

Snape seemed to understand immediately the implications of the situation. He had some trouble finding his words. When he spoke, his voice was strained. "You want me do prepare the potion?"

"Yes, Severus. Liliana's blood will be the ultimate ingredient. You see, she and I are relatives. She is a very distant cousin, but she has Slytherin blood. It can bring me to life if…willingly given."

Snape was quiet for moment. It seemed that Voldemort was aware of Liliana's value after all. Now he was certain more than ever that he would not let her walk out of the manor alive. He had to get her out of there.

"We should be aware that there is a huge risk to this operation, milord. Both of you could die if anything at all goes wrong."

He met Liliana's eyes while saying the last words. He knew that when Voldemort's mind was set, there was no way turning him around. She did not flinch, but he read the sadness in her eyes. Severus could not possibly guess that this had been her idea in the first place.

Voldemort and Snape continued the former's work, while Liliana watched them from her window seat. When her blood was requested, she simply pressed Snape's knife to the tip of her finger and gave it back to Snape. The potion had to simmer for one more day before it was ready to drink.

At one point, Voldemort exited because Lucius had informed him about a nasty situation with the vampires they were recruiting. Snape had stayed behind to keep an eye on the potion.

"I hope you realize what you are doing," he said quietly. "If we succeed, it will be the end of the wizarding world as we know it. And be sure he will not let you live. Now that he knows who you are, he also knows the huge danger you represent to him."

For a few seconds, she did not speak. When she broke the silence, her voice was filled with resentment.

"Of course, this had to be my fault, right? Tell me then, Snape, where is Dumbledore? Where is the Chosen One? Where are all those famous people who were supposed to save us all? Why are they not here to prevent this madness? How is it that here, now, with Voldemort, are just Severus Snape and Liliana Karkaroff?"

"Dumbledore has not returned to Hogwarts yet, so he does not know about this situation. Potter is much too young and too reckless to be involved."

Liliana laughed derisively. "Right then. We will have to face this in our own way."

"So, are you ready to sacrifice yourself?" Snape asked.

"Never," she spat. "Not as long as I can breathe one second more."

The Potions Master looked consternated.

The door opened and Voldemort entered. He looked extremely tired.

"Lucius will take you to the Dungeons until the potion is ready."

He left immediately, and Lucius appeared in the doorway. He stared tensely at Snape, who had grabbed Liliana's arm.

"Please don't do this, Liliana. If successful, this transfer will have yet another consequence to both of you, perhaps just as powerful as resurrecting the Dark Lord's old body."

But she pulled her arm away violently and walked away with Lucius.

* * *

Tom had not told anyone about the potion except Snape, and he'd only included Snape because it had been necessary for a Potions Master to check the potion.

He had slept most of the night and a good part of the following day. At nine in the evening, Severus Snape had knocked on the door to let him know the potion was ready. Everything seemed to be in place. Tom preferred to call Liliana and Snape to his room in all discretion. The Potions Master and the Heiress of Slytherin showed up fifteen minutes later. The girl was still wearing her Hogwarts uniform, which looked a bit rumpled. Snape was carrying two vials of the Draught of Life. Tom checked it first and then set the vials on his table. He watched Liliana surreptitiously. They were both afraid this would not work, and she would die, and he would probably lose his current body. It was not a pretty thought; but by the way she acted, with complete detachment from the whole situation, Tom understood she was willing to take the risk. She turned to him, her emerald eyes hard.

"What are we waiting for?" she asked.

"Severus has to say an incantation first."

Snape took his wand out. "Take her hand, milord."

Tom frowned but complied. He knew the requirements of the transfer.

"I must ask you again: Are you sure about this?" Snape demanded. He handled them the vials.

"Why, Severus, I thought you would be glad if I grew stronger." Tom stared deeply into Snape's eyes.

"I am merely worried for your safety, milord," Snape said calmly.

"Let's go for it," Liliana said, intertwining her fingers with Voldemort's cold ones. He tried to ignore the unpleasant sensation of human contact, while Liliana tried to cope with own her revulsion. They both stared in different directions.

Snape said the incantation while they drank their potion.

"You will feel the effects soon. I advise you both to sit down and wait. No matter what, you must not separate from one another until the potion has done its job."

Tom stared at their joined hands with some confusion when Snape left the room.

"Damn it."

"My feelings exactly. Can we at least sit down?" she inquired.

They sat at the table, trying to put as much distance between them as possible.

"Stop it, you're hurting my hand," she complained when he tried to move even further from her.

They sat silently for a while.

"I did not think you would go through with it," he said suddenly, staring into the fire. "This will make you really weak."

"Maybe not," she said.

"I can't deny…that you are very strong. I have never met someone with this level of magical energy before."

She threw him a sideways glance.

"Me neither. That is why I am saying that you may not need so much energy in the first place."

"Too bad one cannot take other wizards' magic. This is a special case, a special transfer, because we are relatives. It might not even work, not because of the potion, but because we have no feelings for each other."

"_You_ have no feelings for me. I can honestly say I hate you with all my heart."

"It will be a miracle if this transfer works," he muttered irritably.

She was quiet for a few seconds. Then she suddenly shuddered. "You would do anything to be the greatest, wouldn't you? You have no bounds, no limitations whatsoever!"

Tom met her eyes.

"I have already done everything possible."

A long silence fell, then Tom said, "I don't feel so good."

"Too bad I don't have a wand."

"It wouldn't do you any good. If you break this, you will die."

"I know."

Tom put his head on the table. A few seconds later he passed out. It took Liliana a few minutes more, as her body was stronger.

Then she blacked out as well.

* * *

**A/N: Dear all, we are approaching one of the story's peaks again and I really hope you will enjoy it. Thanks for reading.**

**I would like to thank again my wonderful beta Lisa for betaing this story. Once again, HP and his universe belong to JK Rowling.**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: So here it, latest chapter of the story. Have fun, I had some writing it. **

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* * *

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Chapter 19

**Irresistible Tom**

Tom did not want to wake up. Everything around him felt so good — from the state of slumber he was in, to the silkiness of the covers on his bed, to the way his room was submerged in darkness — that he did not want to wake up. On the contrary, he wanted to spend his day in this state.

Unfortunately, he could hear voices somewhere in the house. Discussions. Annoying people. Damn it.

He stretched languidly and opened one eye and then the other. Someone had closed the curtains so they blocked most of the light. The clock on the mantel piece showed that it was eleven o'clock. Tom rubbed his eyes, swearing. Suddenly, he froze and looked incredulously at his hands.

Then he jumped off the bed.

He pulled the curtains and looked again at his hands. Normal hands, not normal actually, but human, maybe inhumanly beautiful hands with perfect long fingers. His hands.

For a few seconds he stared unseeingly at the wall in front of him, thinking it must be just another cruel dream. Then he remembered: Rowena's story, the potion, the girl.

Hastily, he transfigured his wardrobe into a huge mirror and discarded his robes and his clothing. Completely naked he stared at himself in the mirror in awe. The incrediblely handsome Lord Voldemort stared back at him. By his looks, he must have been around twenty years old. His skin was flawless; his young body could have easily been taken as a model for the statue of a Greek god.

A feeling of unaltered happiness washed over him. He had not experienced such a feeling in many years; he could not even remember when it had happened the last time. It was so positive that Tom almost felt ashamed of himself.

He became gradually aware of another presence in the room and turned around. In the doorway stood Bellatrix, agape, staring unabashedly at him.

"Is there anything I can do for you, Bella?" he asked.

Bellatrix continued to stare at him, her jaw dropping, unable to utter a word.

"Good morning, milord. I trust you slept well," Snape said, sneering at Bella. He passed her by and entered the room.

As the room crowded, Tom became aware of his nakedness and grabbed his robes.

"We'll talk later, Bella. I need to discuss something with Severus first."

"Right," she said, without actually making any move to leave. Severus took the opportunity to close the door in her face and put a silencing charm on the door.

"This is great, Severus," Tom told him. "It worked. I wanted so much to believe in this, but…the girl did not. Still, I was willing to try."

"Milord, you took a great risk, especially since her feelings are so…"

"Where is she?" Tom cut him off. "Is she still alive?"

Snape hesitated: "She is alive, but she is very fragile at this time. She is still asleep. I put her in another room for your safety."

"I want to see her."

"Milord, we should make some tests, to see how you feel first and then…"

"Haven't you heard me? I want to see her now."

Snape nodded and started for the door. Things were just getting worse. He had managed to separate the two Slytherins in the morning, before Voldemort could consume all Liliana's energy. When he had found them, they both seemed soundly asleep, still holding hands. Liliana's face was ashen, and she looked immensely tired. Lord Voldemort had recovered his old appearance. Severus had separated them and carried her to another room and levitated him to his bed. Liliana had remained unconscious the whole time. If she had not had a feeble pulse, Severus would have believed she was dead. He was still astounded that the transfer had worked. Unlike Voldemort and Liliana, Severus had taken his time to analyze the conditions under which the potion worked and its effects on its subjects. Under the present circumstances, the potion should have never worked. The two individuals should have had a very strong connection, or so the book said.

It was a miracle they were still alive.

They stopped in the doorway to Liliana's room. Severus watched Voldemort attentively. The Dark Lord's expression was inscrutable, but his eyes were fixed on the unconscious girl resting a few meters from him. He did not enter the room.

"What should I do with her, milord, when she wakes up?" Severus inquired.

Tom was silent. He took his eyes away from his cousin with great difficulty. The transfer had not changed her physical appearance at all. She looked very weak and tired though.

"Make her…"

The logical end to the sentence would have been "dinner for Nagini," but instead he heard himself say: "A blood replenishing potion or something…"

When Snape looked at him, he added hastily: "I'll be out, Severus. I think I will enjoy a bath in the sea."

Severus Snape stood rooted to his spot, glancing incredulously from Liliana to the empty doorframe. Things seemed to get crazier by the minute.

* * *

Later that day Severus called Travis, a Death Eater who acted as the Dark Lord's personal mediwizard. Recently, Voldemort had been obliged to take different potions that relieved his pain or allowed him to sleep better. It was something that only Travis and Severus knew, because Travis was surveying his health and Severus was preparing the required potions.

Travis showed himself particularly interested with Liliana's case: "Her vitals are so feeble that I would say she is nearly dead," he said after examining Liliana carefully.

"What are you going to do about that? The Dark Lord wants her back on her feet."

"What exactly did he do to her? It would help me if I knew the cause."

"You are asking questions that I am not authorized to answer, Travis. All you need to know is that she is in a deep coma."

"Thank you for this precious information, Snape," Travis said, sneering. "Very helpful, as always."

Snape watched Travis with some concern as he examined Liliana with a peculiar interest that did not seem to have much to do with professional reasons. "Why does he still need her? I could use someone like her for some of my experiments."

"Would you care to ask the Dark Lord himself?"

"Maybe not," said Travis, taking out a parchment from his briefcase. He wrote something and then gave the parchment to Snape. "Prepare this. It should work for all these induced comas. Too bad…" he muttered looking at Liliana.

Snape hastily covered Liliana and hurried Travis to the door. He had a potion to make before the Dark Lord changed his mind.

* * *

Tom floated about one hundred meters above the agitated sea, his eyes fixed on the horizon. The wind felt chilly and powerful against his body, as he breathed slowly, filling his lungs with fresh air, like an exercise, like he was doing it for the first time. He did not mind the wind: It made him feel real, made him feel that the moment he was living was not just a dream.

He was alive. And for once, he _felt_ alive again.

What was this wind to him when he was now strong enough to fly without using a broom, using only his magic?

He had made it. It was the second time that he'd risen into the stormy wind and fought gravity with just his magic. It was an extraordinary feeling to finally be able to do this after dreaming so long about it. Today he had known he'd be able to do it. He had conceived the spell years ago, but he had never succeeded to fly without a broom. But now, he had suddenly known there were no more boundaries to his magic. It was not just his strong body. It was just not the way his head felt, clear and rested. It was the raw energy he felt run through his veins like some strange sort of adrenaline.

There was no stopping him now.

He knew it, the Death Eaters knew it, and soon the whole magical world would know it.

The Dark Lord was back — not his shadow, but the real Dark Lord who had paralyzed the wizarding world with his charming personality and the fear he had later provoked.

There was only one thing still missing before absolute power would be his forever. Tom turned his head to his right to glance at his wand in his outstretched hand. Lord Voldemort had his strong body back; he had his irresistible charm back; he had his Death Eaters at his side; he had his alliances; he had made his soul immortal by splitting it into seven parts. It was not enough though. There was something he was keen to have, something that would reassure him against his opponents forever. Not that he was unhappy with his present wand, as he had grown attached to it; however, since the unfortunate incident with Harry Potter over the Priori Incantatem, he preferred to start a quest that would lead him to the fabulous Elder Wand. The key to that waited for him back at the mansion, in the person of the wandmaker Ollivander.

Tom turned towards the house. Earlier that afternoon, he'd had a short meeting with the Death Eaters. Reactions to his new appearance had ranged from fascination to concealed absolute horror, but Tom had anticipated that. He had no need to prove that he was still himself. It was enough to call them and the mark would burn on their arm. But he could feel the difference immediately: he had already gained some influence over the ones who had joined them in recent years. Tom was back. His charm was back. Things were about to improve.

He smiled inwardly. He was in such a good mood that he had difficulty concentrating on a plan for his announced meeting with the vampires' representatives.

He landed back on the shore and walked at a steady pace towards the house; upon reaching the front door, he ran into a lot of his followers who were preparing the grounds for the meeting. Vampires were difficult, even dangerous, when challenged. Certain security measures had to be taken before their arrival. Tom watched Lucius placing a number of protective charms on the house. A smirk came to his face: The level of the charms was too low for their guests. They would detect them immediately. True enough, vampires did not carry wands, but they were armed with amazing instincts. They were not to be underestimated.

He glanced from Lucius to the door and suddenly stilled. His cousin was leaning against the doorframe. She was as pale as death, and her fists were clenched at her sides. She was staring at him, and her fathomless eyes were full of questions but devoid of any trace of fear. For some strange reason, Tom found it difficult to look away, as those eyes fixed on him and seemed to absorb all his will.

"My lord," Lucius bowed, and Tom was finally able to escape the prison of Liliana's stare. "I am sorry, I did not hear you arrive."

"That much was obvious, Lucius, as you ignored me for the last five minutes," he replied. "The quality of these spells is ridiculously low. Get Bella to help you with this."

Lucius bowed again and left. Tom glanced back to the door and to his relief Liliana had already disappeared into the house. He realized he had been so engrossed in his new appearance and powers that he had completely forgotten about his little trouble.

* * *

Draco glanced nervously at the teachers' table for the seventh time that evening and tried to swallow back his disappointment. Neither Dumbledore or Snape had returned. The deadline he had given himself was approaching fast.

He still sat isolated from the other Slytherins who were giving him dubious looks from time to time, as if to asses if he was still himself. Sighing, he let his fork fall back on the table. He had no appetite, and he knew he should start preparation soon. He knew how to leave Hogwarts without being spotted. The cabinets were finally repaired. He was armed with a bunch of very useful spells. He also had Potter's invisibility cloak and Liliana's…

The bench he was sitting on suddenly quivered, and Draco turned around to look into a pair of startling green eyes, but not the ones he was used to.

"Potter! What do you think you're doing here?" he asked, a little surprised. "You're at the wrong table."

"Why, thanks for informing me, Malfoy" Potter said a little too seriously to be taken seriously.

Draco scowled. "What the hell do you want?"

"Now, this is no way to treat the only person who only wants to help you with your impossible task."

"Do I need to tell you that everyone is staring at us right now?" Draco said, looking around nervously.

"Yes, I know. Well, everyone except Luna and probably Neville though…" Harry said, smiling. "Relax, Malfoy, no one could possibly suspect that we are plotting something together…none of the ones present in this room at least."

"Whatever. Just say what you want and piss off."

Potter drew himself back, as if to better assess Draco's words.

"You _are_ serious. You really want to go after her alone," he stated, a little in wonder.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Potter," Draco said coldly, looking towards the teachers' table again.

"Still, you are nervous. Don't try to deny it, Malfoy. I've been in more nasty situations than you, and trust me, I would be _very_ nervous if I were you."

Draco turned around to meet Potter's smug look.

"Is that what you think, Potter? That you have been through worse situations than I have? Did Voldemort make you take the Dark Mark? Did he repeatedly inflict the Cruciatus Curse on you last summer? Does he hold your parents hostage? Oh, yes, he doesn't, because they're long dead. Lucky people indeed."

The Slytherin enjoyed seeing Potter boil with anger. He looked away from Draco's cold smirk for a few moments, trying to gain some composure, while he wanted nothing more than smash his arrogant face. How could he remain the same arrogant bastard even as his entire life was going into pieces?

"That was low, Malfoy, even for you," he growled. "But let me ask you something: Did someone make your father take the Dark Mark?"

Draco's smirk disappeared. He overlooked Potter's insult. "Are you not shocked that I am a Death Eater?" he asked quietly.

"I've known for some time now," Harry said. "I know much more than you think, Malfoy."

"How long…?"

"A couple of months."

"And you…"

"I also know you are on a mission for Voldemort."

Malfoy went paler than Harry had ever thought possible. He was positively white.

"I am well aware of your situation, Malfoy, and I know you don't want to continue your mission. And since Dumbledore and Snape are not here to help, I have decided to do it."

"You want to do…what?" Draco staggered.

"I know you will go after Liliana. I want to go with you."

Malfoy regained his composure: "You are mistaken, Potter. I am not going anywhere."

"Very well, Malfoy. If you want to play like that, so be it. I have no choice but to inform the teachers."

"You are positively insane, Potter," Draco declared. "What's it to you if I go alone?"

Harry sustained his cold grey stare: "If you go alone, you will never succeed."

"That does not answer my question, Potter."

Harry lowered his gaze. "Just consider it another outburst of my enormous hero complex," he said lamely.

Malfoy turned his head and stared unseeingly at his untouched plate. No matter how much he wanted to keep Potter out of his business, the truth was that he already knew too much — and not only did he know too much, but he was also overtly blackmailing him.

"Please, Malfoy," he heard Potter whisper. "Let's leave our hatred and rivalry aside just this once. You need my help. _She_ needs my help. If you fail… Snape and Dumbleodore have disappeared, and everything might be lost. Please accept my help. I promise the moment we get back, we'll go back to being our usual selves. All right?"

Draco slowly turned his head to look at his archrival.

"Bear in mind that if it weren't for Liliana I would have never accepted this truce. You'll always be my enemy, Potter."

"I am your enemy now, Malfoy, if that helps," Potter said.

"I leave at midnight. Meet me then in the main lobby by Salazar's statue."

Before Harry could utter one word, the Slytherin was already going towards the exit. Neither of them noticed that Ginny Weasley had watched attentively all their exchange.

* * *

"Water," she said in a voice so low that Snape almost did not hear her.

He sat promptly on the bed and lifted a goblet to her lips. "Drink it, all of it," he ordered when Liliana's scowl told him that she did not particularly like the taste of the blood replenishing potion.

She obeyed then tried to sit up.

"Mirror please," she urged him.

Severus hid his smirk and transfigured a piece of parchment into the mirror she had requested. While he was refilling her goblet with some more potion, she examined herself, and he heard her sighing in relief.

"What were you expecting?" he enquired. "A snakelike appearance?"

"We were talking about some kind of transfer, weren't we?" she asked, setting the mirror aside. "Still, I had better days. What are you making me drink?"

"Can't you guess?"

"I have no idea, but it must be something to make me stronger. Honestly, I did not expect to ever wake up. I thought _he_ would want me dead after the transfer. What happened?"

"Actually, I do not know, and I should not like to presume. He was the one authorizing me to give you the blood replenishing potion."

"I have no need for this anyway," Liliana said, standing. "It was not my blood that he took."

"True enough," Severus said giving her a worried look. "I added a couple of tonics to make you feel better. It will not restore your energy level immediately, though. I strongly believe you should rest."

"I feel rested enough thank you. How long have I been asleep?"

"More than twenty-four hours," he said.

"Good, I should be fine then," she said and tried to take a step toward the door. She felt a bit nauseated and swayed on her feet.

"When will you ever listen?" Severus asked, grabbing her arm to steady her.

"I have to get out of here," she said, her voice fading.

"Your chances of leaving this place unnoticed are those of a Hypogriff trotting in a porcelain store."

"Let me worry about that," she said, liberating her arm. Severus frowned, as he watched her making her way unsteadily towards the door.

"Thank you, Professor," she said, as she opened the door.

Severus nodded once, wondering how far she would get.

To Liliana's amazement, no one tried to stop her on the way towards the entrance to the manor. The Death Eaters knew about the transfer. Though Voldemort had never said it, they knew Liliana had to be a relative of his for the spell to work. It was now clear to all of them why he had gone all the way to Hogwarts to retrieve her. As he had not given specific orders, no one dared to touch her.

Liliana stopped in the doorway, watching Lucius throw protective spells on the house and wondered briefly what was going on. She knew she could not hope to run, wandless and with all the Death eaters keeping a careful eye on her. She was about to ask Lucius if they were expecting something bad to happen when her eyes fell on a man coming purposefully towards the manor from the gardens.

Her breath caught up in her throat as she watched him come close to where she stood. She could swear she had never seen a more handsome man in her life. He seemed almost unreal, something ripped out from a fairytale, with his tall and strong frame, angular features and pale, flawless skin. Even his walk had a surprising elegance for such a tall man.

He stopped in front of the house and watched Lucius placing the spells. He seemed slightly bothered by something. Then he glanced towards her and he froze, making Liliana forget about all her assumptions regarding his identity.

His eyes were dark and deep, like the endless night. Liliana had to fight against the feeling of drowning into the depths of his stare. She remembered to breathe only when Lucius bowed to the man — she thought he was ridiculous, why would he do something like that? It was not as if… But her thought was cut short, as she heard Lucius addressing him as "milord." The nausea she had experienced earlier returned at full speed, and she ran into the house, trying to put as much distance as possible between her and the Dark Lord.

* * *

That night Draco waited for Potter in the Entrance Hall by Salazar's statue as he had promised the Gryffindor.

When Harry showed up, he was wearing jeans and a warm jacket. He also had his broom with him. Draco shrugged off Potter's Invisibility cloak.

"Here, Potter," he whispered, when Harry looked around the hall.

"Good evening, Malfoy," the Gryffindor greeted him. "Honestly, I had my doubts you would keep your word."

"I did not give you my word, Potter," Draco snapped. "Anyway, I can't believe that I am leaving with you."

"Neither do I," a third voice resounded across the hall.

Draco pointed his wand promptly at the intruder, but Potter caught his wrist.

"It's Ginny," he said.

Draco swore: "I can't believe you told them, Potter!" he said, his face murderous. "I should have known that you cannot keep a secret from Weasel and Granger. It's pathetic."

"Actually, he did not tell anyone," Ginny prompted. "I followed him here. As soon as saw you talking to each other tonight at dinner, I knew you were planning to go after her together."

"Ginny please…" Harry started, but Malfoy bypassed him to tower menacingly over her.

"What is your problem, woman?" he growled, exasperated. "I told you before, I have no choice but to go. I can't turn my back on her. Not now, when she's alone."

"You knew about this, Ginny?" Harry exclaimed incredulously.

Ginny ignored him and continued to give Draco a pleading look.

"And it's really none of you business!" Draco said rather unconvincingly.

Ginny bowed her head, staring at the floor. Suddenly, Harry wanted to be anywhere else than in the same room with the two of them. Something very fishy was going on right under his nose. He thought back about the day when Ginny had told him that she had accidentally discovered that Draco and Liliana were brewing potions in the dungeons. She'd seemed to hate him then. What had happened in the meantime? And why did Malfoy also seem a bit embarrassed, as if he were also hiding something?

He heard Malfoy sighing, and a moment later, he saw that Ginny was holding a red rose in her hand.

"Should anything happens to me, the rose will fade," he said in a low voice and then turned around swiftly and grabbed Harry by the arm. "Let's go Potter, we don't have all night."

The nerve of him, Harry wondered, as he reluctantly followed Malfoy up a flight of stairs.

"Aren't we supposed to fly there? Where are you going?" he asked eagerly. "How did Voldemort get in?"

"In a very brutal and primitive way, Potter. But we cannot afford to be seen. We must be smarter than him."

"_We must be smarter than Voldemort_? Malfoy…"

Draco turned around to smirk at Harry: "True enough. You can't be anyway. You are barely smarter than the Weasel."

Harry pressed his lips into a hard line. "So this is how it's going to be? I have offered you my help and instead all I am getting back are your petty insults?"

Draco sobered. He hurried on the stairs until he found the empty corridor he was looking for.

"I knew it!" Harry exclaimed, as they entered in the Room of Requirement. "I knew you moved your activities someplace else than the Dungeons."

"Don't you ever get bored with following people around?" Draco asked, almost amused. He led Potter to stand in front of the cabinet he had repaired recently. "We will use this cabinet to get out of Hogwarts. A simple spell, and it will send us in a second into Hogsmeade. And we can return here just as easily. I'll show you. Give me your broom."

Harry watched Malfoy place his broom into the cabinet; he then muttered an incantation that Harry did his best to memorize. When Draco opened the cabinet door again, the broom was gone.

"It's in Hogsmeade now," he said, before Harry had time to speak. He said the spell again, and the broom was back in the cabinet. "You see, no danger. Now get in!"

Harry eyed Draco suspiciously, but he had no choice but to obey. After all, the other cabinet could have been right in Voldemort's layer for all he knew. _Even better_, Harry thought, _no need to_ _fly_…

Suddenly, he hit his head on a shelf and realized that he was already in another place. He opened the door and was surprised to see that he was actually in what appeared to be Borgin and Burke's shop in Hogsmeade.

He got out and gave Malfoy time to enter the cabinet in the Room of Requirement. Then he said the incantation he had heard, and a second later, the door of the cabinet almost hit him in the face, as Draco burst out hastily.

"Thank Merlin I am still in one piece. I am a bit surprised that you managed this without first tearing me into little pieces."

"Stop whining like a little girl, Malfoy," Harry retorted. "What next?"

Draco relaxed, and a genuine smile appeared on his lips.

"Follow me," he said exiting Borgin and Burke's. He quickly made his way towards the centre of Hogsmeade. "We need a broom."

"We have a broom!" Harry pointed out.

"Potter, I am not riding with you. _I_ need a broom."

With that Malfoy stopped in front of a store and extended his right hand towards Harry.

"Give me your wand for a second," he asked.

"What? No way…"

"Potter, do you trust me or not? That is what we agreed. We trust each other until we get back."

"Fine," Harry snapped, handling him his wand.

Draco took it and sent a spell on the window shop where several Firebolts were displayed. It smashed the window into little pieces.

"Malfoy, are you insane?" Harry shouted. Draco grabbed one broom and handed back the wand to him.

"Thanks, Potter."

"Malfoy, I swear…"

"Look, Potter," Draco said innocently, "I can't use my wand. The Aurors will know immediately who did this when they arrive. All wands are registered. But no one will believe that the Chosen One could steal a Firebolt, especially when he already has one. You can say that you lost your wand tonight and then you found it somewhere in the school. They will believe you, but they would never believe the son of a convicted Death Eater with a ransom on his head of 10,000 galleons. Now let's go!" Draco mounted his new broom elegantly.

Still seething, Harry kicked off. He swore to himself that as soon as he got out of this impossible alliance, he would make Malfoy's life impossible.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N:** Here we are folks, two years after I drafted the first chapter of this story.

Before you proceed to read the next chapter I would like to mention a few things:

First of all, you might have noticed that the rating of this story has recently gone up. There is a reason for it. Violence has escalated, the language will not be so mild anymore and some of the topics in the story are not exactly for very young people.

On the good side, some of you were probably wondering where the romance in this story is, especially since until now it looks like the main characters seem to be fighting all the time. Romance will soon be in the air (well, as soon as winter holidays will be drawing near in the story and in real life )

Finally, one word about reviews. I am not particularly keen about reviews, but I noticed that the story is on the alert and favorites list of quite a lot of people and it would be nice if you would also comment on what is going on in the story. There are a lot of plot twists and cliffhangers (like the one at the end of this chapter) so it would be good to know your thoughts. Feed-back is always important and welcome for a writer.

**Chapter 20**

**Vampire Heart**

A few hours were left before the midnight arrival of their visitors. Vampires could not travel during daylight. Tom went to sit in the drawing room on the ground floor, where they usually organized their meetings, leaving the door open so he would keep an eye on the preparations that were being made by his people. He sat down at the long, oak table opposite the door, his forehead resting on the palms of his hands, thinking hard. He had a decision to make, and it was not easy. It involved his cousin: What the hell had he been thinking when he had told Snape to make her revitalizing potions? But now it was too late, and he could not go back on his decisions. The funny thing was that he still felt like he was on the right path, although it went against all logic and common sense. It was easier to face the consequences now, with a clear head and feeling stronger than ever. So what if she was still alive? The Death Eaters knew she had to be his relative, a Slytherin descendant—and a powerful one by all appearances. Twenty years ago, he would have been happy to recruit someone like her, but lately fear for his own life had driven him out of his mind, and he was far too careful to see the potential of other people anymore. However, they had not gone so far previously without brilliant people in his command, such as Snape. They needed people to brew potions, people to cure the wounded, people to negotiate — Merlin knew he was a bad negotiator — and so on. Now that he was out of danger, Liliana was not a true menace to him. Why not try to convince her to join them? She was powerful and smart, and she could easily infiltrate Hogwarts and blow Dumbledore's plan. Tom was dying to know what the old man had concocted, and Liliana was most probably the key to their success. But how could he convince her to confide in him? She surely hated his guts. Maybe there was something she wanted and he could offer her. What was her Achilles' heel? Of one thing he was certain: He would have to use more of his manipulative, clever side on her this time rather than his usual method of torture.

He decided that it was time to confront his cousin. It was no simple task, since she seemed determined to keep her distance from him. She had disappeared as soon as she had seen him. He was expecting a hex instead, or at least a try. As he wandered around the house, he met Bella who looked surprisingly well in a green silk dress. She turned him in the right direction, telling him that Liliana had taken the stairs to the attic. Tom went that way, trying to ignore the strange feeling that Bella's eyes were still locked on his retreating figure. He found his cousin in an empty room in the attic, staring out of a small window. He stayed in the doorframe for a few minutes studying her. She seemed unaware of his presence, but Tom knew that it was virtually impossible. When he had first seen her, she had seemed vulnerable and feeble to him, as she lay so defenseless, asleep on her bed. It was not the case now. He could clearly see that she was quite tall and that her body had known the strict physical exercise program that Durmstrang imposed on all of its students.

When she finally turned around, her expression was one of unmasked revulsion.

Tom closed the door quietly and put up a silencing spell. He closed the distance between them, a look of curiosity in his dark eyes. She stared at him bluntly, and though he used Legilimency, he could not see anything in her mind. It was as if she was devoid of any feeling or thought. That, or she was an accomplished occlumens, which was very unlikely for her age. His beautiful face contorted in frustration, and it was only then that Liliana realized in her turn that he had used Legilimency on her.

"Since when does Lord Voldemort keep his promises?" she asked coldly.

He managed to keep his face blank and his tone flat as he answered, "I always honor my promises."

"That's not what I heard," she replied, her eyes still adverted, as if the mere sight of him was making her sick. "So what now?" she continued, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "Can I go?"

"Not just yet," he replied, his eyes still probing. "There is something else that you asked me for. What did you want?"

She looked up sharply. "Knowledge," she said.

"Knowledge," he repeated slowly, his lips curling into a smirk. "That's a broad topic, don't you think?"

"I have only one question actually," she said.

"Now I am really disappointed, dear cousin. You only have one question for the Dark Lord? How strange!"

It was strange indeed — and so was calling her "cousin" when they were barely related. _Enough to resuscitate my body_, _though_, he mused.

She ignored the sarcasm. "You just pointed out it was a broad topic. And I am well aware that you would never answer any question, so why bother to ask?" She had quoted Harry without even realizing it.

Tom leaned against the window sill and played with his early idea of finding out what his cousin's interest was.

"You really have not understood yet, have you?" he asked.

She gave him a guarded look. "Understand what?"

He glanced through the window, his eyes meditative. For a second, devoid of any anger, his face was of such pure, calm beauty that Liliana thought again that the man standing in front of her could not be Lord Voldemort. It was becoming increasingly difficult to focus on the monster and not be distracted by the glamorous façade. She had never seen his younger self before. He had something of the Slytherins in him, something about his moves and stance and tone of voice. The high-pitched tone had disappeared; instead, he spoke in a rich, commanding voice. But the rest of him was unknown to Liliana, and she wondered again about his Muggle father. He had probably inherited his good looks — from his dark, slightly wavy hair to his strong stature — from his father. When he had entered the room, her mind had gone blank just at the sight of him.

None of this mattered when it all came down to the fact that he was the worst of murderers. Liliana felt nauseated again at the thought that she had found him alluring even for one moment when she did not know who was hiding behind the glossy mask.

"Why I have so many followers in the first place. What made them come to me, what made them take the Dark Mark," Tom said, distracting her from her thoughts.

"Fear?" she suggested.

He gave her an almost pleasant smile. "By all means, do continue to lie to yourself, cousin. And please let Dumbledore fuel these lies further." He was almost pleased with himself as he added: "Know thy enemy; if you don't, you will lose the war."

"How wise," the girl remarked sarcastically.

"Actually, it's quite an old saying," he replied in the same calm tone he had used before, looking around casually. "It was Hufflepuff who once said it to Gryffindor, as he was too much of a hothead to go to a duel with a rival of his and not learn anything about him beforehand."

"And you did?"

He folded his arms and looked at her again. As he stayed quiet, she asked: "Did you learn about me before coming to Hogwarts the other night?"

He hesitated. It was not her business, but he decided to make his point: "I do not consider you a rival in any way, but I _did_ find out who you were and remembered about your past and your parents before I came to kill you."

Ignoring Liliana's angry stare as he mentioned her parents, he continued: "The reason why my Death Eaters followed me was because I was giving them the knowledge to pursue their dream for power. Everything wrapped up in a polished ideology. Pure-blood supremacy. You see, it all comes down to the same thing you want, Liliana, knowledge._ Knowledge is power._"

She almost shuddered when he said her name; his smoldering and fascinating eyes locked on hers. It took her a few good moments to realize he was playing with her mind again. It was not hard to see how he had managed to manipulate the crowds so easily. After years of training, her mind had almost betrayed her. Almost.

"So, let me get this straight... If I decide to become a follower, a Death Eater, I would have access to all the knowledge I dreamt of. Is that what you're saying?" The sarcasm was still in her voice.

Tom was a little bit taken by surprise by Liliana's ability to fight him off so easily. Moreover, he disliked the sneer she hardly concealed in the tone of her voice. It was not easy to deal with her, even for him. But he was a man used to getting what he wanted. He knew he had to be more convincing. He swallowed his disappointment and said, "Knowledge you have not even dreamt of yet, but you will soon. Let me give you a taste of it."

Before she could protest, he grabbed her arm, used a nonverbal spell to make the wall behind him disappear, and jumped off from the third floor of the manor. Liliana had to fight the urge to close her eyes, but a moment later they were standing on solid ground, in the garden behind Lucius's house. Tom walked quickly, dragging her after him. _This is sort of becoming a habit_, Liliana mused.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked, trying to yank her arm out of his rough hold.

"I heard that you are a decent flyer," he said. _Decent_ was not the word Lucius had used, but he enjoyed diminishing her abilities.

They had reached the outline of trees guarding Lucius' property, and soon they were able to see the large strand of beach in front them.

"Therefore, you will be able to appreciate this," he continued and flicked his wand.

Liliana gasped as they plunged into the dark space before them, rising at dizzying heights above the sea level, their faces and bodies swept by the cold November breeze.

Tom loosened his grip on her arm and held her by the wrist instead, allowing her more space. It was not something his cousin particularly seemed to appreciate, because she fought to grab back his hand. He turned his head a little to the left, hiding his smile. Maybe it was being human again, but another human's touch did not seem to bother him that much. Before the magical transfer, human touch seemed to burn him, as his own skin was so cold. He threw a warming spell around them and watched his cousin calm down progressively and enjoy the flight.

"So?" he asked after a while.

"What?" she asked, because the wind was sweeping too strongly against them, and Tom's word seemed to disperse with it.

He muttered irritably a "Sonorus" and asked again: "What do you think?"

"How fast can you go?" she asked as loud as she could.

"There is no speed limit — as much as you can handle without blacking out. I believe that in a couple of hours you could be in Poland if you wished."

Liliana was quiet, meditative, and Tom sped up to show her he was not joking. Her grip on his hand intensified, and he noted she was looking down, at the wavering sea below, where the full moon was reflected.

"Merlin," she breathed. He did not hear her, but he guessed the word from the movement of her lips.

"The name is Tom, not Merlin. I doubt he could fly like this," he said.

She closed her eyes and relaxed, and Tom smirked. She was enjoying this too much for her own good.

"Turn around please," she said suddenly, a few minutes later.

"Why cousin, I thought you were enjoying this. What happened?" he asked. He felt once gain like laughing.

She made a move to let go of his hand and Tom strengthened his grip on her wrist.

"Don't play with me, girl," he hissed. _I am in no mood to fetch you from this freezing water, _he though instinctively, but the words never left his mouth.

He flicked his wand again, and soon they were flying back to the manor.

Once they landed on the beach and she felt solid ground under her feet, Liliana pushed him away harshly.

"You made your point, but you are wasting your time. Why don't you just kill me so we finish off this masquerade? I am not as good as you when it comes to lying and deceiving."

Tom put away his wand. His voice was a mere whisper when he said, "I have given my word that I would let you go, and I will keep my promise. I just ask for more time, that's all. I have things to show you."

His eyes fastened on Liliana's, but he was not happy with what he saw deeply hidden in her mind: fear and revulsion again. But instead, she said, completely composed, "It's an amazing spell, but why would you need it, if you can Apparate?"

He drew back from her thoughts. He had to give her credit. Playing innocent would have worked well on others. Not on him fortunately.

"That's the point, Apparition requires a license, which means that the Ministry controls who goes where, and they can track you. No one can track this spell. So you see, it's not that I don't enjoy flying a broom, au contraire. But a broom is not this fast."

Liliana took a few steps towards the house. "Now you will be able to travel anywhere."

"Precisely," he said, catching up with her. "Is this knowledge enough for you?"

"I have always dreamt of flying without a broom," she said. "But this is not the knowledge I was referring to."

"Then what is it?" he asked, without hiding his curiosity.

Liliana knew she was skating on very thin ice, but she also knew it was unlikely that she would ever get an opportunity like this again. She tried to hide the tremble in her voice. This was her one chance to save Harry.

"The spell you wanted to hit Harry Potter with backfired when you lost your powers. Is that correct?" she checked.

Tom stopped walking.

"Why do you ask this?"

She turned to look at him: "Yes or no?"

Tom resisted the urge to hex her and played along. "Everyone knows this by now. Yes, that's how I lost my powers. I cursed him, and his mother sacrificed herself. The curse backfired. It left me without my powers and him with a scar. Pretty convenient, ha?"

He sounded angry. _The bastard_, she thought. He had almost killed Harry, and he was the one angry and frustrated. And now she had been stupid enough to give him his body back. Well, maybe she did not have a choice, but perhaps she should have let him kill her. _No idiot_, she scolded _herself, your death would not have helped anyone. _

"So how come you are not dead? Avada Kedavra is the supreme killing curse. Why are you alive?" She started to walk toward the house again.

Tom was quiet behind her for a moment, and then he moved swiftly to face her. He was holding his wand menacingly at her throat.

"What are you playing at?" he asked gruffly, his eyes blazing again.

"I am not playing. I want to know what kept you alive," she said, standing her ground when the tip of his wand pressed harshly against her neck.

"So this is it then? This is what you were trying to find out? The secret of my immortality?"

"Yes," she breathed.

Tom let out a short, humorless bark of laughter and lowered his wand. "I should have known a Slytherin would always want the worst," he said, and for a moment he looked disappointed. "How is it that Dumbledore has not solved this mystery yet? By now, he must know that I have attained immortality somehow. Did he not speak of this?"

"No, not to me at least," she replied evenly, hoping he would not see through her. "Dumbledore does not trust me. Even if he knew, he would not tell me."

"Quite pathetic, cousin. But I know the man, and since he had never trusted me, he would never trust another Slytherin, especially after all that I have done. I know why you want to know, because you think you will live forever, just as I thought when I was your age. In reality, all that it does is to keep you alive when your body is destroyed. It cannot keep you alive unless you concoct a new body each time you are getting older, which is impossible."

Liliana resumed walking.

"Will you not tell me?"

"Give up my secret to you, girl? Are you mad?" he exclaimed.

"You promised me," she said. "I gave you what you wanted. You don't keep your promises. No pure-blood would act like that."

She did not even have the time to blink before Tom had her pinned against a tree. "Maybe I am not a pure-blood, but I keep my promises," he whispered in her ear. "But I don't think you can handle the truth, Liliana. Moreover, my secret cannot serve you well. You need to learn how to kill in cold blood, you see. _Then_ we can talk about my secrets."

Liliana ignored the funny flutter in her stomach when Tom's breath caressed the shell of her ear. "Don't tell me what I can handle," she replied pushing him back. _Awfully sensitive about your half-blood origins, aren't you? At last, I can touch a nerve there._

He sneered and let go of her.

"If you really want to know this, then join my followers. When I am sure of your loyalty, then maybe I will share my secret with you."

Liliana scowled. "Not if you were to beg, Voldemort!" she spat and continued to walk towards the house.

Tom slowed his pace gradually, letting her disappear inside the Manor. His cousin was more stubborn than he had imagined. _What is going on in that complicated mind of hers?_ he wondered. There was only one way to find out. He needed to keep an eye on her at all times. He had to show her what his world was made of. Maybe then she could be persuaded to turn against her allies.

When he entered the house, he found the Death Eaters prepared to receive their guests.

"They should be here anytime, milord," Bella told him.

"Very well," he said, "the moment they arrive, take them to the Council room. I shall join you in a minute."

As the Death Eaters trotted to their tasks, Tom stopped Narcissa Malfoy.

"Go find Liliana; she is to join us for the meeting," he said, ignoring her terrified expression.

* * *

Liliana returned, seething, to her newly discovered shelter in the attic. She kicked the door closed and started pacing back and forth without even realizing what she was doing. Her mind was feverish, cursing her own stupidity and cowardice furiously. How could she be such a pathetic idiot? It was not enough that she had helped Voldemort get back his fool strength, while almost draining her of her magical energy, but now she had almost let herself be bewitched by his power and skills.

She had not experienced such a great feeling of freedom and happiness when flying with him above the sea since she was still a child and she had ridden her dragon to liberty. She had almost let down her guard, and it had felt wonderful.

It had felt like magic. She could have probably gone as far as Warsaw without even giving a thought about it. It might have been the magical transfer, but as they were flying, she did not perceive Voldemort's presence at her side as being dangerous. She could just close her eyes and enjoy herself for once.

But she had forgotten who had made her feel almost happy for the first time in so many years. She hated that Voldemort had made her feel again, and she hated him even more for being the one to trigger that reaction within her.

She finally calmed down and went to sit on the window sill. From there, she could see Lucius welcoming a delegation of six people. They had to be the vampires everyone was expecting. It was nothing that could really amaze her now; she had understood quite easily that Voldemort had no scruples at all, not even when it came to allying himself to dangerous creatures such as vampires.

Wizards and vampires were species that had carefully stayed off each other's paths for centuries. Vampires were wicked creatures, unable to suppress their thirst for human blood. They usually preyed on Muggles and kept their distance from the wizards' towns.

Although they did not have magical powers, they had other qualities that made them extremely dangerous. They were much faster and stronger, and they had excellent instincts that made them amazing hunters. A wizard without a wand would not have stood a chance against them. That was why in their turn, wizards also preferred to stay away from vampires.

Unfortunately, this truce had been broken a couple of times. The last time had been in the sixteen century when a wizard had started a conflict that had ended up with an entire wizard village being ravaged by furious vampires and more than fifty wizards dead.

Nevertheless, Voldemort was receiving the worst kind of vampires — the more cautious type would have never attended such a meeting — trying to turn them against his own kind. His selfishness was making her sick; his cruelty knew no boundaries. He was about to provoke complete and utter chaos and for what? What would remain of the wizarding world when this war was over?

She had to stop him somehow before he broke the truce again.

Liliana jumped from the window sill as the vampire delegation entered the Manor. When she opened the door, she found herself face to face with Narcissa Malfoy.

"He has asked me to bring you to the meeting downstairs," the woman said apprehensively.

Liliana smiled. It seemed that fate was on her side after all.

* * *

To Harry's surprise, his and Malfoy's trip was not too long. About an hour and a half after they had left Hogsmeade, Draco landed his broom in the peripheries of a small town. Harry followed his example.

"Voldemort lives here?" he asked.

Draco transfigured their brooms into two small pieces of wood, kept one of them, and gave the other to Harry.

"No, not here," he said, shuddering a little. "He lives in my house. Malfoy Manor is just behind this hill. Now let's go."

Harry hid his surprise at Draco's words and walked quietly at his side for a while. As they climbed the hill, through a thick and dark forest, he wondered again what had changed in Draco. The Slytherin was definitely not the arrogant but cowardly boy he used to know.

"I should give you some details about the house. It has been his for several months now. My parents are his prisoners, and he is treating them terribly. There is no apparition on the grounds, and at least twenty people are always present in the house for his protection — as if he needed it. Everyone knows he has done something to himself and has become immortal." Draco stopped and listened carefully.

"There are people in the garden. Death Eaters," he whispered. "We will have to be careful. Why aren't they sleeping? It's past midnight already!"

"Where do you think he's keeping her?" Harry asked.

"There are some muddy dungeons where I used to play as a kid, but now they have been put to use again."

"How do we get there?"

"Let's get into the garden first, and then we'll worry about that," Draco replied, his eyes intent on the path ahead.

Harry nodded and took out his wand. Draco did the same and led Harry through the pack of trees towards his family's garden. When they reached the high fence, both boys climbed it quickly and jumped silently on the other side. Draco handed Harry his Invisibility cloak and the Gryffindor threw it on both of them, leading the way towards the handsome Manor before them.

"So what now?" he asked Draco. "Do you know of any secret entrances or hidden passages?"

"Actually, yes," Draco said. "Turn right at the corner. There is one passage leading in the family library. From there, we can try to sneak in the Dungeons. I have not used it for a while, but it should still work."

"OK," Harry whispered, hearing voices not far from them.

When they reached the wall Draco was looking for, the Slytherin hesitated. He said a few spells, but nothing worked.

"They seemed to have put a password on it. And guess what, it's in Parseltongue."

"So this means that Voldemort is using it now?"

"It's very likely."

Harry pushed Draco aside and was not surprised to find the password very easily, when he said "Nagini," in Parseltongue. "Very imaginative guy," he said. Malfoy smirked in reply, and they climbed through the open passage.

They walked through a long corridor for a while before reaching the library on the ground floor. Voices could be heard from the neighboring drawing room, but the two wizards headed in the opposite direction towards a flight of stairs leading to the dungeons.

They didn't meet any of Voldemort's followers on the way, but as soon as they got to the basement, they realized that there were people imprisoned there. They checked the small cells several times, but Liliana was no where to be found.

The prisoners, most of whom Harry and Draco did not know, begged to be released. Harry was tempted to give them their freedom, but Draco forbade him.

"Are you mad?" he growled in Harry's year. "The Death Eaters will be here in the blink of an eye."

Disappointed by Liliana's absence, they climbed back the stairs.

"Where can she be?" Harry asked, throwing back the Invisibility cloak on both of them.

Draco did not answer.

"Do you think she's in that room?" Harry pressed on.

Draco rolled his eyes.

"Probably, unless Voldemort decided to give her his room," he mocked. "There's no way I am going into that room, Potter. That's where they hold their councils. We wait here until they are done."

"But what if he kills her? Maybe he brought her from the dungeons to kill her."

"For all I know, he might have killed her already. We are not going to enter a room full of Death Eaters where Voldemort presides unless we want to die, too. Try not to be a hothead for once."

"Slytherins," Harry mumbled under his breath, though he knew Malfoy was probably right.

* * *

When Liliana entered the drawing room, guided by Narcissa, who held her arm, she could not make much of the room. It was rather dark; some torches on the walls and some candles on the large table in the middle were the only sources of light. It was insufficient, but their guests enjoyed darkness, as their eyes were perfectly capable of seeing at night. It was probably a friendly gesture to accommodate them.

As Narcissa guided her firmly through the room, Liliana squinted, trying to figure out where Voldemort sat. It was not necessary though, as a second later she heard his rich, velvety voice filling the room. To her surprise, Narcissa led her to sit at his side, across from Snape.

As she took her seat, she threw Severus a glance that the professor did not return; his attention was focused on the Dark Lord. He seemed so absorbed by his words that if she did not know him, she could have believed he was downright fascinated by Voldemort. She turned her head to glance at him and had to fight the surge of fear that shot through her when his smoldering, dark eyes rested on her. His stance was intimidating, and she had never seen him chairing a meeting before. For the first time, she fully grasped the concept of how powerful and feared he was. The torture she had gone through had not convinced her of his true power, nor had the magic he had done earlier to impress her. But when he sat there, speaking to his people, who were listening in rapt attention, something hit her. He interrupted his speech to pet Nagini, who rested her head on his shoulder and had started making furious noises when Liliana had sat at her master's side.

"My guests, this is my cousin, Liliana," Voldemort said suddenly, eventually taking his eyes off her to look at the people seated opposite from him.

Liliana looked at the vampires, surprised he would choose such a moment to introduce her. He had not taken the trouble to reveal her identity to his own people; on the contrary, he had kept it a secret from them all this time. Why such a move now? Did it have something to do with his offer to join him?

She was surprised to hear one of the vampires — the one who looked to be their leader — speak. "Your future wife, I presume." He was seated right across from Voldemort; his face was cold and ageless, and his voice was a bit shrill.

There was stillness in the room while the audience waited for Voldemort's furious reply, which never came.

"Your presumption is incorrect, Alessandro," the Dark Lord replied evenly, without elaborating, but Liliana could have sworn she had seen his jaw twitch upon hearing the vampire's words.

"That is most peculiar since for hundreds of years most of your family members been in the habit of marrying their cousins."

This time, Liliana was sure Voldemort would snap.

"Hardly your cousin, actually, if she is indeed Cesare and Lilah Slytherin's daughter. There were rumors that she might have escaped from you, that someone had hidden her," a vampire to Alessandro's right said.

Liliana eyed him and was slightly disconcerted by the look of unmasked curiosity he was giving her. He looked fairly young — her own age, maybe — but she knew he could be hundreds of years old. He had a handsome face, chiseled features, and beautiful heavy-lidded eyes that could have been blue, but it was hard to say from the distance.

"That is correct," Voldemort replied in the same even tone. The moment he confirmed, Liliana could swear that the look on the vampire's face changed from curious to purely murderous then to utter coolness in less than two seconds.

"_It looks like your parents have managed to always leave an impression somehow_," she heard Voldemort say. She turned to look at him, a bit surprised that he had also noticed the change of attitude in the vampire camp. Then she noticed that some people, including the vampires watching them closely with puzzled expressions on their faces, and she realized he had addressed to her in Parseltongue.

_Why did I not think of that_? she wondered.

"_Please stop this meeting immediately_," she replied. "_Do you have any idea how dangerous these creatures can be?_"

Voldemort's expression did not change, and he continued to stare at their guests. She moved closer to him, and Nagini made furious noises in her direction. Liliana noticed Bella gripping her wand tightly and smirked.

"_My girls don't like you, cousin_," Voldemort said, tilting his head to look at her and petting Nagini again to calm her down.

He looked downright amused. Liliana scowled in Nagini's direction, and the snake hissed again angrily.

The girl stared angrily at Voldemort again. "_This is not a game; this is a war_," she said, lowering her voice. "_What will become of us all, if they get out of control_?"

"_That is not possible_," he said, glancing coldly at her.

"My guests," he said loudly, "Let us get back to the issue we were discussing."

"Yes, I am afraid we do not have much time; we have to get back before dawn," Alessandro said, his voice a bit harsh.

Voldemort ignored his irritation.

"As I was saying before, it is time for you to make a choice. It is not wise to stay neutral when some of your own people have already made a choice to join Dumbledore, and we all know that this is a mistake. Dumbledore has no principles; he works with everyone who wants to join him, from halfbloods to Muggles" — he spat the word — "and even worse, to werewolves."

The last words made the vampires shift uneasily.

"Yes," Voldemort continued. "It should not surprise you that Dumbledore considers that the werewolves live amongst us in civilized society when you know better than I do that such a thing is simply not possible."

Liliana hid her scowl at his words. He was simply too good at turning people against each other. It was a real talent.

There was deafening silence for a few moments while Voldemort and Alessandro studied each other cautiously. Then Alessandro spoke, but his words were not meant to please Voldemort.

"We have known each other for what now, thirty years?" The blond vampire to his right nodded. "We have supported you from day one, because you have sworn to restore our rights and help our admittance in the wizarding world. I personally thought you had the potential to do it. But then you went into hiding, and we have not heard from you in sixteen years. When you disappeared, we had to go into hiding again, chased by the wizards. I believe that before we go further into details about how we are going to help you return to power, we need a token of your commitment to us."

Voldemort eyed Alessandro coldly. The blond vampire leaned towards their leader and whispered something in his ear. Liliana tensed when she noticed his eyes were on her again, glittering maliciously in the dim light. She turned her head to look at Voldemort, but his face was blank, waiting for Alessandro to speak again to clarify his request.

"We would appreciate if your cousin would be our guest until the Ministry falls and you pass the decree that we are officially recognized as equals of wizards and the division ends," Alessandro finally said.

Liliana froze when she heard his words, clearly not expecting such a strange request. But then she glanced again at the blond vampire, and saw him smile contently, and she realized that perhaps he held a grunge against her family. It was the only explanation.

"She presents no importance whatsoever for my plans," she heard Voldemort say. "You should request something more valuable."

"But we want her," Alessandro replied firmly, almost immediately.

Everyone turned to look at Voldemort expectantly, but Liliana did not wait for his answer. She already knew it, and she was sure as hell she would not let herself be drawn into these creatures' lair no matter what.

"I will not be a prisoner to this rotten leaches' lot," she spat. "Better dead."

It was enough for chaos to ignite.

The next thing she knew she was thrown back, landing hard on her back, the chair shattering into pieces when the vampire pinned her to the hard floor. Terrible pain exploded in her, but she could not care less, when she came face to face to him. She had never seen such livid fury in somebody's eyes before: his electric blue pupils turned red suddenly, and she knew she was doomed.

"Better dead. Yes, we agree on that," he said, the grip on her strengthening, his lips pulling back to reveal his fangs, ready to end her life. She heard somebody yell, but she was too mesmerized by her attacker to fight him off. Rumors said the fascination vampires exercised on their victim just before killing them was too strong for the victim to fight back. There was chaos in the room, people yelling, but she could not focus on anything but the red eyes boring into hers. Suddenly a flash of red light blinded her, and the weight of the vampire was lifted off her. She blinked a few times and sat up, noting Voldemort near her, wand in hand. His stance was menacing, and she realized he had been the one who had saved her life. The blond vampire crouched across from him, ready to attack.

"Jurgen, stop!" somebody cried, but Voldemort and the vampire did not look up. Liliana thought it had been Alessandro standing a few meters from them, also in an attack pose.

"You don't stand a chance," Voldemort said evenly to the blond vampire. "I have no wish to kill you, so stop this nonsense."

"She has gravely insulted us. It's her or this deal is off," Jurgen replied.

Liliana stilled. It all came down now to Voldemort's answer, and she knew well what he would have to say. She looked around, noting that all wizards had drawn their wands, and the vampires looked as if they were prepared for a fight.

Then she heard Voldemort's say coolly, "The deal is off."

"I hope you realize what you have just done, Voldemort," Jurgen said menacingly, standing.

The Dark Lord did not lower his wand. As responding to a silent command, the vampires started to change into different animal form and bolted out of the room through the open window, followed by the wizards' fearful stares. Jurgen transformed into a big white wolf, but the malicious blue eyes betrayed his identity. He turned once again to give Voldemort and Liliana murderous looks before jumping outside.

For a few moments, all the wizards stared at each other intently. Then Voldemort put his wand away gesturing to the others to do the same.

"They are gone," he said and sat back at the table meditative. The wizards shifted slowly to get their places around the table.

"You may be excused," the Dark Lord said suddenly. "Wait outside."

Snape moved swiftly to help Liliana up when he heard Voldemort say, "Not you Snape. You will stay. And so will you." He glanced for the first time at Liliana since she had insulted the vampires. "We have some things to clarify."

Everyone exited, giving Snape worried looks. The wizard ignored them and said a spell to alleviate Liliana's pain from her fall to the floor. He helped her up.

Voldemort did not look up while the wizards left the room. He seemed focused on something that had his fists clenching and unclenching under the table. Something was terribly wrong, and Snape knew it, from the moment he had seen the Dark Lord interposing between Liliana and a furious vampire.

And now Voldemort was aware that something was wrong.

The Dark Lord stood up quietly and flicked his wand. The wall between the drawing room and the library disappeared, and he went in to find a book. Snape already knew what it was, and he braced himself for the worst. Voldemort turned the pages slowly, his face blank, but the other wizard knew better. Liliana was watching him curiously, but she did not speak. At length, Voldemort spoke, his voice quiet, but filled with a strange emotion, without looking up.

"So, Severus, I have been told many times you were the one spying on us, Dumbledore's man in the house, but I thought too highly of you to listen to your detractors. And here we are now. I have to declare that I was so wrong."

Snape gripped his wand inside his robes.

"Milord, do not let yourself be influenced by such lies," he said, trying to sound cool. "I have so many enemies and only from being faithful to you."

Voldemort's lips curled up, but it was not a smile.

"You have given me the proof I needed yourself," he said bitterly. "I have no choice but to believe you, Severus." He finally looked at his follower. Snape moved his hand to draw his wand, but it was already too late. Without even moving, Voldemort had him immobilized against the back wall. The Dark Lord slammed the book closed and drew his wand. His move awoke Liliana who had followed the dialogue closely without intervening.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"This concerns you as well, so shut up, you foolish girl," Voldemort replied and approached Snape, who watched him with apprehension. He knew exactly what was coming and braced himself for it.

"All I want to know is _why_."

Voldemort pointed his wand at the professor and said "Legilimens." Pain shot through Severus, blinding him and he let out a piercing cry when he realized he could not fight Voldemort off. The Dark Lord had never actually used his wand when performing Legilimency on him, and he was completely taken off guard by the force of the spell when it hit him. He realized that Voldemort had not wanted to pay attention to the rumors and had chosen to believe him instead. He had wanted to trust someone, and that had been his undoing. When Snape had presented himself to the Dark Lord only two years ago pretending to have spied all this time on Dumbledore, Voldemort had chosen to believe him instead of doing what he was about to do now.

He was human after all.

But now, it seemed that Snape was running out of luck. He could not contain his thoughts and suddenly Voldemort was there when Severus was merely a teen and he had fallen head over heals with Lily Evans, when he had taken the Dark Mark, when Lily was killed by Voldemort, and Severus had sworn to avenge her and to protect Harry Potter with his life.

"You have betrayed me for a Mudblood whore?" Voldemort suddenly growled incredulously, releasing his grip on Severus' mind.

"Please…" Severus begged, looking at Liliana, another one who he had failed miserably to protect.

Voldemort's spell hit him hard, taking his breath away. He felt himself split inside, if that was possible, and understood that the other wizard had used one of the torture spells that caused internal bleeding. He had witnessed it before, and he knew what it did to the victim.

Another spell made him fly across the room and through the wood and glass doors into the hallway.

He landed with a thud in the middle of the Death Eaters who were eavesdropping. He noticed a few sneering faces as they formed a circle around him and heard Voldemort pace toward him. Severus drew his wand and spat the blood, invading his mouth. He was probably the most powerful wizard among the Death Eaters, and if he could not stand up to the Dark Lord, then none of them could.

He would not go down without a fight.

"Sectumsempra!" he yelled, as Voldemort approached, catching him off guard. There were some gasps around the room. Snape heard something slither nearby and realized Nagini was close by. He looked up and saw Voldemort, his hand clenching at his chest, but the visible wounds were already starting to heal under his touch.

"This will leave scars, you fool," he said, bowing over Snape. "Did you really think such a pathetic try would kill me? I thought you knew better than this. Allow me to give you a taste of your own spell." He flicked his wand wordlessly, and Severus cried in pain, his black robes damping slowly with his blood, feeling his strength leaving him, his mind in a trance…

"I am so disappointed with you, Severus. You cannot imagine how much. And I can honestly say I would have been sorry under other circumstances…" he heard Voldemort say as if from a very, very long distance.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N**

I just wanted to say sorry for the long wait. I am trying to post at least one chapter per month, but sometimes it proves more difficult than expected.

Thank you for your reviews and please continue to say what you think, it is important for me with all these difficult characters and crazy fic. And this is the chapter where all hell breaks loose!

Finally, the name of this chapter is a way of paying tribute to Garbage's **#1 Crush, **the song which inspired me to write this story.

**Chapter 21**

**#1 Crush**

Harry had always thought Snape was a nasty, malicious bastard. He had always disliked him, and the dislike had escalated to pure loathing last year, during their Occlumency lessons. They detested each other: Snape had made clear his feelings for Harry from the very beginning, and so Harry had been on the defensive in his presence ever since his first days at Hogwarts.

Given the circumstances, Harry would have never believed that he would one day feel pity for Snape. But the moment Snape catapulted through the drawing room doors and landed in a rapidly growing pool of blood in the manor's lobby, a wave of empathy washed over the Gryffindor, almost making him jump to his help.

In fact, Harry had wanted to burst into the drawing room as soon as the whole commotion had started, but Malfoy had done everything possible to restrain him. He had even put a Locomotor spell on him. Then the Death Eaters had left the room; and as soon as the doors had been closed behind them, they had been glued to the door, eavesdropping.

But it had been just a matter of minutes before loud voices had been heard again, and then Snape had landed just a few meters away from where Harry and Draco were hidden under the Invisibility cloak. The Death Eaters' reactions varied from fear to clear joy in some cases, Lucius Malfoy included.

"It's a disgrace," Draco whispered in Harry's ear. "He's convinced Snape is making a move on my mother. He's losing it."

Harry had just elbowed Draco to shut up when he heard Snape yell, "Sectumsempra," and saw him point his wand at a man coming out of the drawing room. He had been trying to find out more about this spell he had found in the Prince's book for a while now, but he did not have the time to make the connection between the man fighting for his life in front of him and the book he had grown so attached of. A tall, dark-haired man walked out of the drawing room, his hand clutched to his bleeding chest, and Harry froze, as he could not believe his eyes.

He could not be there; that man was dead, even the memory of him was erased from his diary. So what in hell was he doing there?

It was Tom Marvolo Riddle, but not the memory Harry had destroyed years ago. This Riddle seemed as real as any other person present there. He also looked different than Harry remembered him, a little older, like in one of the memories Dumbledore had recently shown Harry. He was a bit disheveled, his hair — slightly longer than in his school days — was untidy, and his green shirt had been torn by Snape's spell.

His mere presence in the room made Harry wish he could rip his head off with his bare hands. He tightened his hand on his wand. His hate for Riddle surpassed any feeling of rivalry he might have felt for Snape or for Draco. Harry was astounded that Riddle did not look directly at him when he entered the hall — the Gryffindor's loathing of him was that intense. For Harry, Riddle was ten times more real than Voldemort: it was Riddle whom Harry had personally met in the Chamber of Secrets, it was him whom he had confronted, it was him who had attempted to take Ginny's life, and finally and most importantly, it was this man who had killed Harry's parents. It was this face that Harry most hated and despised.

Riddle walked slowly towards Snape and bowed over him, his wounds already healed. Harry felt his magic go out of control, and it took even more of Draco's to calm him down. Then Riddle cursed Snape again, his face contorting into a sneer.

"I am so disappointed with you, Severus. You cannot imagine how much. And I can honestly say I would have been sorry under other circumstances…" he said.

Then he straightened, pointing his wand at Snape, who seemed completely unable to move.

Then Harry and Draco heard a familiar voice coming out of the drawing room. Harry shivered. Liliana did not sound like her usual self. Her voice was shrill.

"Stop it, you're killing him!"

Riddle paused briefly, a cruel smile on his lips.

"I'll be right with you cousin," he called back. "Your turn is next."

Draco grabbed his wand. "We need a diversion," he whispered in Harry's ear.

But Liliana ignored Riddle's warning; she came running into the lobby and slid between Riddle and Snape and kneeled beside Snape. She grabbed Snape's wand and started saying an incantation. His wounds started to heal gradually, and the blood disappeared.

Harry had to stifle a gasp, and Draco gripped his hand painfully. He was seeing it as well. Liliana looked terrible: Her school clothes were a mess, and she had countless bruises from curses inflicted on her. Her dark hair was pointing in every possible direction, and it was dirty and unruly. But this was not why Harry and Draco were the most shocked. It was her face that was truly reflecting all she had gone through. Her eyes were sunken and had dark circles under them; her cheeks were hollowed, and her face was so pale that it was almost transparent in contrast to her hair.

The Death Eaters started to murmur, but Riddle simply watched her silently for a while, immobile.

"Save yourself," Harry heard Snape say weakly. Liliana shook her head resolutely. Her brow furrowed slightly. "I will not leave you, Professor." She looked up at Riddle who was watching her with an inscrutable expression. Suddenly he bowed and grabbed her arm, lifting her from the floor.

"Stop this!" he rasped, shaking her. "It's pointless." Liliana gave him a hateful look.

"Leave him alone! What did he do to you?"

Riddle laughed humorlessly, letting go of her arm, and crouched near Snape who raised his wand to protect himself. The other wizard said something that only Snape could hear, and then he stood.

"If I knew this was your feeblest point, I wouldn't have worked so hard all these years to destroy you. But I never thought you could be so vain, Voldemort!" the professor snapped viciously.

"Well, try living a few years in snakes' bodies, and then we'll talk," Riddle said, and Harry could swear that for a moment he had seen a red glow in his eyes. "What am I saying, you won't be here in a few years, simply because you will be dead."

Paradoxically, Snape was the one sneering this time. Riddle saw his expression and asked, disgust lacing his words: "Of all the things you could have tried to do to me... Why?"

Snape stood up with great difficulty.

"I asked you countless times if you were sure you wanted to do this. I asked both of you. None of you wanted to listen to the consequences. And I personally never thought the spell and the potion would work. I still can't explain why it worked. Unless..." The professor suddenly looked back and forth between Riddle and Liliana shrewdly.

Riddle turned to stare into Liliana's eyes which were wide, staring back at him in shock.

"What is he talking about?" she asked, her voice full of alarm.

Riddle did not answer. He turned to Bella who had watched him closely all this time, wand at the ready. "Take them out and kill them both!" he ordered, ignoring a bark of caustic laughter from Snape.

"About time, too," Bella said under her breath, grabbing Liliana's arm. Lucius pointed his wand at Snape and disarmed him. "Let's go!"

The Death Eaters stepped outside with their prisoners, leaving Riddle alone in the middle of the hall.

Harry felt Draco shift slowly and took out his wand. They were both expecting him to leave, but he remained rooted on the spot for while, the expressions on his face changing so swiftly that it was unsettling. He finally took a few stairs up, and Harry and Draco were preparing to run outside when they heard him swear loudly.

"I can fucking do it. No potion can prevent me from doing it!" he said, pausing halfway up.

A moment later he ran past Harry and Draco and outside the house.

Harry shrugged off the Invisibility cloak, shrunk it, and put it in his pocket. Then he felt Draco's questioning eyes on him. Malfoy looked a bit shaken, but Harry had to give him credit for having kept his cool stance and not letting him do anything stupid.

"The man you saw is Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as Voldemort. This is the way he must have looked in his old body when he was around twenty years old. And before you ask me, I have no idea why he looks like that. Apparently Snape helped him retrieve his old appearance through a potion."

"Actually, Potter, I don't give a shit why he looks the way he looks. All I want to know is whether you are ready to help me save Liliana and Severus." Draco lifted Severus' wand off the floor.

"No, I have come all the way here just to see Riddle again. Let's move, I can't wait to curse him. I can't believe what he did to her, the bastard!" Harry replied, and they both hurried outside in the thick darkness.

It did not take them long to find the Death Eaters gathered in a sort of a clearing in the forest, surrounding Snape and Liliana who were facing Riddle and Bellatrix. Snape looked very weak, but at least his wounds seemed to have been cured by Liliana's incantations. He was looking around at the Death Eaters, as if evaluating their chances of escape. Liliana, on the other hand, only seemed to have eyes for Riddle. He was pointing his wand at her, and her attitude was quite different from what Harry and Draco had seen only minutes before. She looked defiant, as if provoking Riddle to hit her with the Killing Curse.

"This is getting out of control. We have to move fast," Draco said.

Harry looked around. "The forest is not very thick here. We could use our brooms."

Malfoy saw what he meant, and they both looked for their minimized brooms in their pockets.

"You take care of Snape," Harry said, mounting his broom. "I'll get Liliana!" Draco opened his mouth to say something but gave up. It was probably just a waste of time, and time was not something they had. He also needed to save his parents.

One moment later, Harry sent an exploding charm in the middle of the Death Eaters, causing several trees to catch fire and fall.

Chaos ruled soon after.

* * *

Tom caught up with the group of Death Eaters just as they made their way to the line of trees guarding Lucius' property and into the forest. He pushed Bella aside and grabbed Liliana's arm:

"Keep walking!" he ordered the others.

"You just had to do this yourself, right? That's why you came to Hogwarts in the first place!" Liliana said calmly.

"Aren't you tired of opening that mouth of yours all the time?" he snapped.

"Why do you even deny it?" she snapped back, glancing at his profile.

Tom did not look at her, keeping his eyes on the path ahead.

"I do not deny that this is an exquisite pleasure that I have refused myself for far too long," he said, malice lacing his words.

"You are nothing but a murderer."

"Really? Would it shock you if I told you that I heard that before?" he asked innocently.

Liliana clenched her jaw, and Tom smirked. "What, have you already given up?" he asked, slowing his pace.

"I do not care if you kill me or not," she said in the same calm tone she had used before. He quirked an eyebrow at her, looking a tad amused.

"Did Snape give you some euphoria draught which has had a belated effect?" he asked. "Two days ago you would have done anything to stay alive, and now you just don't care anymore? Where is the Slytherin spirit?"

Liliana looked ahead without answering. The Death Eaters had already disappeared from view. Tom did not seem to be in a hurry though. He tugged on her arm, and she reluctantly turned to face him. She was surprised when she read the expression on his face: genuine curiosity. She blinked and let her thoughts surface, as if daring him to read them.

_I failed. I failed all __these around me and the few ones that trusted me. I judged Harry for being weak years ago and unwillingly helping you come back to power again, and now I found myself cowardly giving into your requests just to stay alive. Perhaps you are really the one who will survive, the most powerful of us all. So that's why I don't care anymore._

"You are a cowardly murderer. So just murder me the way you did my parents!" she burst out after a few moments, when he did not seem to use Legilimancy on her but rather waited patiently for her answer.

He suddenly stopped and hesitated. "I had no intention of killing your parents. They were the ones who attacked me. I simply wanted to meet them," he eventually stated, his voice tense, his worst memory playing before his eyes as Liliana stared at him in shock.

"Coward!" she said through gritted teeth. "How dare you affront my parents' memory like this? They would have never attacked you unless you had taken the initiative!"

He pressed her arm painfully: "Like I said, continue to lie to yourself and believe the liars around you, like Karkaroff and Dumbledore. You obviously prefer that to the truth. Your parents were the cowards. They started it, and they attacked me two against one."

"Shut up!" she roared. "How dare you! Murderer!" She managed to push him aside but did not attempt to run away. Instead, she stared at him, the level of magic surrounding them starting to mount again, even though Tom was keeping his under control this time. He brusquely took his wand out.

"You are just like them," he said coldly. "Conceited pure-bloods. Slaves to their inflexible, conservative way of being, way of thinking. Too bad you can't see past what you have learned. But now it is too late anyway: I have no choice but to kill you. Let's go!"

She stepped forward determinately. "Let's get over with it."

They soon found the clearing Bella had chosen for the execution. The Death Eaters were waiting for them.

Tom briefly met Snape's eyes, and he once again felt how gleeful the other man was for unconsciously managing to prejudice him. Well, that was about to change. He could do it. He could kill her. Nothing could stop him.

He pushed her in Snape's direction, and Liliana sneered.

"As I said, you're just a coward. You would never duel like a true wizard," she said.

"You are not a challenge for me, girl," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Why don't you give her the wand back, and then we can see if she is or not," Snape interfered.

Tom slowly extracted Liliana's wand from his pocket.

"This you mean, Severus? Of course, I will give it back to her." He looked down at the wand he was holding, the very one that had sent him wriggling on the ground years before from the pain of the Cruciatus inflicted on him by Lilah Slytherin. He swiftly snapped the wand into two pieces and threw them at Liliana's feet. "Here you go, cousin."

Liliana's reaction was instant and so violent that her wave of wandless magic hit him square in the chest, making him stumble back. Several Death Eaters behind him were thrown against some trees.

Tom stepped forward and raised his wand, but Liliana met his eyes defiantly. She had no idea what was going on in that twisted mind of his, but it seemed as if he was hesitating. He had no reason to hesitate, she had managed to push him to the limit, but he _did_ hesitate. Liliana felt like some mystery was starting to unfold before her eyes, from Snape's words which had caused so much trouble in Voldemort back at the mansion to his strange present behavior.

After a few moments, his expression changed; his brow furrowed, his features filling with frustration. Now she was sure that Riddle was experiencing an unexpected difficulty in killing her.

Just then something exploded behind him, several trees catching fire and falling in flames. The Death Eaters scattered among smoke and flames. Another spell hit Riddle in the right shoulder, and he turned around, clutching at his shoulder; but his annoyance changed to wonder as he set eye on his attacker.

There was Harry Potter sitting on his broom ten meters above the ground, his wand pointed at him, his stance menacing and not in the least intimidated by his mortal enemy.

"Harry!" Liliana called, suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling of hope that invaded her. He was the last person she had expected to see there. She hadn't been hoping for a rescue attempt, and she would have never dreamt that the Chosen One would be the one to take such a huge risk to save her.

Harry threw her a short glance to make sure she was unhurt and then he focused his attention on Riddle again. The Dark Lord had not moved, but he was now pointing his wand at Harry.

"Harry! Glad you could join the party!" he said in a dangerously pleasant tone.

Harry was in no mood to play. "Riddle," he acknowledged.

The Dark Lord's expression changed swiftly to anger first and then to indifference, but Harry knew better. He swiftly sent a Killing curse at his enemy, which Harry dodged easily. The Gryffindor knew he had to get somehow past him to get Liliana, but he had no idea how. He dodged another curse, this time from Bella. It seemed that the Death Eaters were now over the surprise attack. But then someone else surged on his broom behind Riddle, and Harry felt relieved.

"Professor, catch!" Draco called, throwing Snape his wand. Malfoy even had the audacity to smirk when Severus looked at him in utter disbelief. He knew the professor must consider him an absolute fool right now. Snape caught his wand and pointed it at Bella who was doing her best to knock Harry off his broom. She knew he was Voldemort's to kill, but she hoped to contribute to his fall. Snape managed to keep her busy, and Harry seized his chance to stupefy Mulciber and get closer to Snape and Liliana.

"Liliana!" Draco called again. He threw her Salazar's sword, but Riddle managed to _accio_ it.

"Poor Draco! You actually thought your little trick would work twice, didn't you?" Tom mocked, grabbing the sword's handle. But as soon as he touched it, he let go of it, as if his hand had burned.

"Fuck!" he yelped. Liliana summoned the sword swiftly.

Tom healed his hand and looked over his shoulder to see Potter and Snape trying unsuccessfully to fight off Bella and Nott. Travis, Goyle and Avery were running towards him, ignoring the obvious: Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were trying to get away. The Malfoys didn't even care about appearances now: As soon as Draco got off his broom, Narcissa threw herself in his arms, and Lucius stood ready to fight off any attacker. Tom smirked. As if he would waste any time on those idiots. He turned back to the matter at hand. He sent a bone breaking curse at Snape, which the professor managed to dodge at the last minute; however all that Tom wanted was to get past him towards Liliana. She did not seem frightened though she was wandless. She pushed Nott out of her way, and Harry took advantage of the situation to knock him out. He left Snape to duel with Lestrange and took a dangerous dive towards Liliana. It was as if she was looking for trouble, what was she doing going in Riddle's direction? Riddle was also advancing towards her slowly, his wand pointing at her and his attention focused on her exclusively.

Travis, Goyle, and Avery were now dangerously close, and Harry knew they had to be off as soon as possible, otherwise they would not survive. He raised his wand and yelled "Expelliarmus" sending Riddle's wand flying out of his hand. Now both Riddle and Liliana's eyes were on him, and Harry dived close to the ground; when he was close enough, he extended his hand towards her. The girl grabbed his hand and easily jumped on the broom behind him.

"NO!" Riddle roared furiously as they flew off.

"Wait!" Liliana said, reaching around Harry and making the broom dive again towards the ground.

"Stop it!" Harry yelled. "You are going to get us both killed!"

Liliana leaned down and lifted Riddle's wand from the ground, just as Harry stirred back the broom in the Malfoys' direction.

"Hurry up!" he called to Draco.

"Disapparate now," Draco told his parents. "I'll find you as soon as I can. GO!" Narcissa grabbed Lucius' arm and disappeared instantly, her eyes still on her son.

Draco did not wait. He threw himself back on his broom and moved at top speed in Snape's direction. Harry remained on the spot hovering a few meters above the ground, waiting for him. He felt Liliana growing impatient behind him, as Riddle walked decidedly in their direction. He had taken Mulciber's wand and, as he closed the distance, he suddenly raised it in the air. Harry's mouth went dry as he watched Riddle fly without a broom, but just then Draco surged at their side, Severus clinging to him for dear life.

"Let's move!" he called and set off quickly. Harry did not wait for encouragement and followed him. A curse almost touched his ear, and he leaned forward on his broom. He felt Liliana shifting so that she could give him more space and sped up, flying now shoulder to shoulder with Draco.

"He's right behind us," he heard Draco say.

* * *

Tom found it very difficult to calm his raging anger as he followed the four of them through the cold night. He still could not believe Potter and Malfoy had attacked him in his own territory. It was hard to see the motivation behind this crazy gesture, unless…unless this had been carefully planned by the two of them, which was impossible, given the fact that they were far too young and stupid to plan anything by themselves. But watching them fly away into the night, a sudden unwelcome thought crossed his mind and corroborating it with Snape's protective attitude towards Liliana it did not seem so improbable anymore: She must have started to recruit followers at Hogwarts.

It was not clear whether she had been systematically recruiting them, but he saw no other reason why these two would risk their lives to save her and Snape. And that was why she had been trying to buy time; she knew they would come for her. She had probably started to lose hope in the last two or three hours, which was why she had become more and more defiant towards him.

It all made sense now.

He aimed a curse at Potter again, but he could not touch him without hitting her as well, so he gave up. It was clear he could not harm her. Damn it, he needed to find a counter spell quickly. Still, he had to give her a warning.

He was sorry to do this, as he saw great potential in young Malfoy. He was strong and committed just like his aunt, but he had chosen the wrong allegiance.

He sent a curse at Malfoy and Snape, setting their broom on fire. It took just a few seconds for the broom to go down in a spiral of flames. He heard Liliana yell, and then he could see Snape Disapparating along with Malfoy, just before touching the ground.

Liliana turned swiftly to look at him, his own wand pointed at him. He was not far behind them, less than twenty meters now, and he could see the expression on her face. She was beside herself with anger, and he knew that she had got the message. Unlike him, she was vulnerable. He knew she cared for Snape, Malfoy, and probably Potter, so she got the message now. Maybe he could not hurt her for the moment, but he would hurt the others around her.

They both knew it was impossible to settle the score now. He was still immortal and therefore invincible, and she knew now that he could not hurt her. The potion had had consequences he should have foreseen if he hadn't been so desperately eager to recuperate his old body.

They had to postpone the fight for now.

She shook her head and put the wand away.

But as Tom lowered his wand and landed in the forest and he caught one last glimpse of them flying away into the horizon, a very strange feeling swept over him. Something felt completely wrong and out of place. The previous anger he felt towards Potter for daring to confront him changed into a new emotion of pure hatred. He had never felt that way towards Potter, not even when he had been wandering powerless and bodiless throughout Europe years ago at the limit of survival; for him, Potter had been just a boy who had been lucky enough to escape him. Tom tried to see why he would hate Potter now though he had not hated him before, but it was impossible. The raging feeling inside him made it impossible to be lucid enough to figure out the cause.

He walked steadily towards the mansion, knowing he would have to leave it soon enough now that his enemies knew where he was hiding. It was just a matter of time before the whole Department for Magical Enforcement showed up on his doorstep.

* * *

Harry had rarely felt as happy as he felt right now.

He had trouble focusing on the way back; Liliana was making it increasingly difficult for him. Soon after Voldemort had stopped following them, she had put her arms tightly around Harry's waist and her head on his shoulder, her face buried in his neck. Feeling her body so close to him was a sensation not at all unpleasant, but utterly disconcerting.

He allowed himself to smile goofily without caring how ridiculous he must have looked.

Only moments ago he'd thought he was doomed. As soon as Draco and Snape had Disapparated, Harry was sure that Liliana and he would be Riddle's next target, but for a reason he still did not comprehend, the Dark Lord had given up on his pursuit. It made no sense to Harry. Riddle had basically had them in the palm of his hand, and he could have easily destroyed them.

Harry had then steered his broom towards what he thought was the right direction to get them back to Hogwarts and tried to put Riddle out of his mind. This was such a perfect moment he just did not want to ruin it for anything in the world. It was not as if the girl he liked so much and who was usually acting as an ice queen would get all cuddly with him too soon.

Liliana's breath on his neck was sending shivers down his back, and Harry suddenly wondered if the cold was not the cause of their sudden closeness. He reached behind him and felt her thigh; she was completely frozen. Harry slowly pulled his broom to a halt and landed in the woods again. They were probably not very far from Hogwarts now.

Liliana stirred and tightened her embrace. Harry smiled.

"Are you asleep?" he questioned in a whisper.

"Just dreaming," she replied, her face still buried in his neck.

"I'll have to interrupt you for a moment. I need you to put my cloak around you; otherwise you'll freeze to death."

She muttered something unintelligible and untangled herself from Harry. She got off the broom and looked at him, confusion in her eyes.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Not far from Hogwarts," he said, taking off his cloak and enveloping her with it.

She smiled weakly at him.

"Harry," she said hesitantly, "I cannot thank you enough for what you did back there."

It was such sincerity in her voice that it made him feel warm inside, as if the sun had suddenly risen from the hills behind him.

"I think you know why I did it. I was worried sick when you disappeared," he admitted. Her face lit up and she closed the distance between them, embracing him again.

"Thank you, Harry. Really, thank you."

"There is nothing to thank me for. I couldn't stop myself from doing it. I had to be there tonight. I can't imagine how it would be for me without you, now that I met you. I never felt this way in my life," he said without taking the time to filter what he was saying.

Liliana pulled back to look into his eyes, now showing all the emotion inside. She caressed his jaw lightly, looking at him expectantly.

This was it. This was the moment. Harry knew it. He was in love, and the girl he was in love with was in his arms. Fate had given him an unexpected chance at happiness, and he leaned down to give her the kiss he had wanted to give her ever since they had miraculously survived the fall during their last Quidditch game.

But suddenly unbearable pain shot through the scar on his forehead, and he stepped back, clutching at his head. It was so bad that his sight blurred.

He heard Liliana's voice as if through a thick fog.

"Harry? What is the matter?"

She came closer and took his arm gently, but there was another shot of pain, more intense than the first one.

Harry made an effort to understand what was going on, but he could barely breathe.

"It's Riddle," he rasped. "He is livid with fury. But I don't know why I can feel this. I thought the connection was broken this summer."

"Let me see, Harry," Liliana said, trying to get close to him again. "I know a lot of incantations. Maybe there is something that could help…"

But Harry had stopped hearing her. There was another voice roaring in his head far more powerful than Liliana's.

_Ask her_, the voice was saying_. Ask her who she really is, Potter. Ask her how I got my body back…_

There was anger now rising in Harry's chest like a furious beast. He felt Liliana touching his arm again, and he pushed her away roughly.

"There is nothing you can do," he roared, clutching at his head. "Why do you even care?"

Liliana looked at him in confusion. "How can you ask this?" she said softly. "Harry, tell me what's wrong. I can help…"

_Ask her_, said the angry, sneering voice in his head. _She's been lying to you all this time…_

"Shut up!" Harry replied to the voice, trying to breathe.

Liliana froze looking at him helplessly.

"Harry, please…" she whispered.

"Shut up!" Harry yelled, this time at Liliana. "Why is this happening again? It's because of you. You prompted this."

"Harry, I'm sorry. I don't know what is going on…" she said.

The pain was still there, unbearable, but his vision was slowly coming back to him. However, the fury inside him was growing irrationally.

"You damn well know," Harry snapped. "It's time to put our cards on the table. It's time to tell me what you have been hiding from me all this time. Who are you? Why did he take the risk of coming to Hogwarts after you?"

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, averting her eyes.

"I saved your life back there. I think that at least I deserve the truth."

"My truth does not change anything for you, Harry," she said.

"Let me be the judge of that," he said, feeling the pain subside.

Liliana stepped aside, away from him.

"Very well…" she said. "If you have to."

Harry waited.

"My real name should be Liliana Slytherin. My parents were murdered by Voldemort. I was raised by Igor Karkaroff," she began.

"I thought Riddle was the only Slytherin alive. Who exactly were your parents?"

"My father was Cesare Slytherin, a direct descendant of Salazar's. My mother was Gellert Grindelwald's daughter."

Harry could not help the look of horror on his face. Liliana shook her head. "There is a reason why I don't tell the truth about my heritage, Harry."

"Continue," he ordered.

"Riddle and I are therefore very distant relatives. I can guess that he has always considered any other Slytherin a rival to his power. That was why he murdered my parents, and that is why when he realized I was still alive he came at Hogwarts to kill me as well."

"Then why didn't he kill you right then and there?" Harry questioned. "Why did he keep you alive all this time?"

"I don't know," she said.

"You know, you are just not sure," Harry said, watching her closely.

Liliana blushed slightly and looked away again.

"I suppose it was because of a wave of magic we both felt when he tried to kill me at Hogwarts. It was strange. He wanted to know what it was."

"And?"

"I also did. Even in the wizarding world, that kind of magic is not normal." She hesitated: "I guess that's the reason why the Draught of Life worked."

"How did Snape manage to transform Riddle?" Harry asked. "Did he use this Draught of Life?"

"It is an ancient potion. If two people are relatives, and there is a strong connection between them, it can actually bring somebody back to life, restore their magic and their appearance. There is only one proven case that it actually worked. Rowena Ravenclaw saved her daughter's life this way."

"A strong connection," muttered Harry confused. "How could that be between you and Riddle?"

"I told you, _I do not know_. None of us thought this would work. I did not believe in it, but I wanted to gain some more time. That was why I offered this to him in exchange for my life."

Harry did a double take.

"You couldn't have!" he shouted angrily.

"I had to. I was not ready to die. I can still fight him." she said.

"You made him ten times stronger than he was! How could you!"

Liliana did not answer but stared defiantly at him.

"How _dare_ you!" he continued. "You called me a coward for letting him take my blood and here you are offering to make him ten times stronger. At least I had the courage to fight him, even though I was only fourteen years old!"

"Harry…"

But Harry was beside himself with anger.

"You disgust me!" he roared. "You know what, Karkaroff, or whatever your real name is, you are the real coward. Next time find yourself someone else stupid enough to risk their life for you."

With that, he turned around, jumped on his broom and kicked off, leaving Liliana staring after him.

She fought back tears and swore loudly. Leave it to Potter to play righteous when it was least advisable and ruin a perfect moment.

She took out Riddle's wand and checked to see the last spell, but it was not the spell that allowed him to fly, it was Sectumsempra.

She had no other option but to walk back to Hogwarts, unless someone could give her a helping hand. And as there was no one around, she decided to continue in the direction Potter had gone without noticing a huge white wolf that was stealthily following her.

* * *

A/N:

So, what are your impressions?


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: I have a feeling that Snape's fans will particularly like this chapter:))**

**Once again, many thanks to Lisa, my beta, and to everyone for reading and reviewing the story!**

**Chapter 22**

**Salazar's Locket**

Harry made his way into the old castle seething with suppressed anger. He had always thought that his life couldn't get any worse than it already was, but apparently he had been mistaken. After being orphaned at an early age, being forced to live with the Dursleys, taught potions by Snape, followed relentlessly by Malfoy, and being chased by Voldemort for the last six years, how could things possibly get worse? Being killed by Voldemort? Harry was not even hoping he would make it out alive of a face-to-face confrontation with Voldemort — no matter what he might have said to Dumbledore last time they had a talk about Harry's future. Truth be told, it was one thing for him to want to confront Voldemort and another thing to actually believe he could beat him. Harry was no fool.

But it seemed that Harry had been wrong all this time. Life could be a bitch, and he was one of her favorite victims. Harry did not know what had gotten into him at the beginning of this year, but since he had met Liliana hope had started to build up inside him. He hoped that he might live to see the end of the war, that he might finish school, that he might actually have a future. And most importantly, he had actually hoped that she was a decent, nice person, despite her warnings and all the signs that he had been given.

He knew now that he had been secretly hoping that he would not have to confront Voldemort on his own and that she would be at his side when the time came. He had hoped to have a powerful ally at his side. And for this reason, he felt very much betrayed when Liliana had willingly helped Voldemort become stronger.

This had gone too far, Harry thought. He had risked his life only to find out that she had offered to make Voldemort stronger — and for what? Had she honestly believed he would keep his word and spare her life? What a joke! Voldemort did not have a word of honor; he did not work with such notions. He lived in a world of arrogance where only he and his ego coexisted.

Harry walked into the dungeons and pounded furiously on Snape's door. Last thing he knew, Voldemort had cursed Malfoy and Snape into a spiral of flames, sending them to the ground, and Harry was worried that the two of them might not have made it back to Hogwarts in one piece. Snape had performed sidelong apparition, but who knew if it had worked?

No answer.

Harry took a long breath and tried to think. Maybe they had gone to the Slytherin common room first. He turned on his heel intent on strangling any stupid Slytherin that might get in his way. But just then there was a loud crack, and a familiar face appeared in front of him, almost giving him a heart attack.

"Master Harry, sir!" Dobby squealed. "I am so glad you made it back in one piece, Sir!"

The house elf's bulging eyes were filled with tears of joy.

"How did you know that I was gone?" Harry asked in utter disbelief.

"Master should not be angry at Dobby, Sir. Dobby is very glad to see Master Harry. Professor Snape told me to tell you that both he and young master Malfoy are in the hospital wing," he said.

Harry did not wait for further information.

"Thanks, Dobby!" he yelled as he climbed stairs two at a time. As soon as he arrived at the hospital wing, he almost ran into Madam Pomfrey.

"They are waiting for you, Potter," she said a bit sternly, before he could say one word. He bowed his head in acknowledgement.

At least they were alive and had made it back to Hogwarts, Harry thought, pushing the door open. Snape was standing by the bed where Malfoy was lying at the other end of the spacious room. Harry crossed the room in a few long strides.

"What happened? Is he hurt?" he asked Snape.

Malfoy opened his eyes and tried to smirk.

"Tough luck, Potter. I am quite all right."

He did not look ok, though, Harry noted. There was blood in his pale, blond hair, and his right hand looked as if it had received treatment from Madam Pomfrey.

"Is it broken?" Harry smirked back at Malfoy, and the other boy narrowed his eyes at him.

"Try not to pity me, Potter, or you'll be sorry."

Harry nodded. Malfoy had definitely changed.

"Actually, it's worse than it looks," Snape chimed in, ignoring Draco's threatening look. "He will be consigned here for a few days, so says Pomfrey."

"No way," Draco said angrily. "I will not be stay here for days when this is all your fault!"

Harry gave Snape a quizzical look.

"I hit the ground before he could make us Disapparate. That's how I broke my arm. And he won't even stop Pomfrey from hovering over me now."

Draco looked at Snape angrily. The professor ignored him and turned to Harry.

"Where is Liliana? We could use her incantations right now," he asked.

Harry fought back his embarrassment. He hated the guilty feeling welling up inside him at the thought that he had abandoned her in the middle of nowhere.

"We had an altercation," he admitted under Draco and Snape's scrutinizing stares. "I left her on the way. She will be here in a while."

"Potter! I knew I could not trust you to take care of her! Merlin, how could I have been such an idiot?" Draco shouted, smacking his forehead. The Slytherin yelped when he hit another bruise resulting from his earlier fall.

Harry might have found this situation funny under other circumstances, but right now he understood very well Malfoy's situation. He had risked his life to save Liliana, and Harry had just abandoned her on the way back.

"I need to go," Draco said, trying to get to his feet. Snape and Harry had to use force to push him back on the bed.

"Potter, this is your fault!" Draco roared furiously when he realized he was incapable of fighting them both. He gave Snape an angry scowl when the professor threatened to stupefy him if he didn't calm down. "I told you this was not your business from the very beginning!"

"What happened anyway, Mr. Potter?" Snape asked calmly.

Harry looked from one Slytherin to another, wondering if he could trust them. He felt he could tell Draco the truth, but he was still not so sure about Snape. After all, he had been involved in preparing the Draught of Life for Voldemort.

"Perhaps it is better if you ask that question to Liliana directly," he said cautiously. Damn it, he was still consciously protecting her.

Snape nodded, but Draco continued to give him an angry look.

"I think we should go, Potter, and give Draco some space," Snape drawled after a few moments, starting for the door.

"She'll be alright, Malfoy. I left her not far from Hogwarts," he said to the other boy in a conciliatory tone and followed Snape towards the door.

They did not make it outside before the doors opened, letting Liliana through. She paced resolutely in Malfoy's direction without sparing Harry as much as a look. However, the tension in the room was heavy. Harry felt Snape's fingers gripping his shoulder.

"Come on, Potter," he ordered.

Harry followed him obediently. Snape stopped only for a split second in the doorway.

"Come to see me as soon as you are done here," he told Liliana. She nodded quietly as she sat on Draco's bed.

"Where are we going, Sir?" Harry asked when they left the hospital wing, seeing that Snape had not let go of his shoulder.

"My office. We need to have a chat, Potter," Severus replied in a deadly calm voice.

* * *

The disaster was too great for him to simply ignore it. When he got back to the Manor he could sense immediately that the men were troubled. Being attacked on their own territory was the last thing they had expected. The Dark Lord's mere presence in this place had discouraged the Ministry from taking action for months, let alone trying to confront Voldemort and his worthy followers.

Tom stopped for a short while in the clearing to give some orders.

"We probably have a couple of hours before the Ministry shows up. Let's do the cleaning as quickly as possible. Bella, get rid of all traces of the lab. Call Travis to give you a hand. Nott, Goyle, kill all prisoners except Ollivander, whom you will bring to me for questioning. Crabbe, remove all spells we put up against the vampires. The Aurors must not be able to track the spells we are working with. Move!"

The Death Eaters bowed without questioning his orders and disappeared from sight. Tom looked at the rest, who were watching him with apprehension. Some of them had shown up later and had not seen the entire confrontation.

"We have to find a new place for our operations now," he said. "Where can we go?"

A younger Death Eater stepped up.

"I would be honored if you would set the new headquarters in my home, milord," he said. "It is not far from here, and my mother and sister will be delighted to have all of you as their guests."

"Thank you, Ralph," Tom said lightly. "We shall leave within the next hour. Everyone prepare. I'll be in the house."

He walked steadily towards the mansion. He retrieved his favorite books from Malfoy's library. He needed to find a cure for the potion's secondary effects as soon as possible. Willing himself to calm down, he went to his room and checked the pages on the Draught of Life.

"How could I have overlooked this?" he admonished himself, slamming his fist on the table. The old wood cracked under the impact.

He looked through the window annoyed. He would have probably done it anyway; he wanted too badly to be himself again. He could have never prevented it. But now he was vulnerable. It was a limited vulnerability, but maybe because of its limited character it somehow annoyed him even more. How can it be that there is a person in the whole world that you cannot hurt, despite your raging hate against her? How come that your body will not listen when you command it? What sort of magic was that? He stood and started to pace around the room. If only he had the will to do it! But he did, didn't he? He really wanted to strike her down, to see the life leave her body…

Tom stopped in front of the fireplace, looking at the flames. What if he did not want it strongly enough? Maybe the potion was really stronger than he was. It had clouded his mind in an unknown way; he did not know what to think anymore. He remembered standing before Liliana, his wand in his hand, his heart beating fast, his eyes locked with hers. This was not the way he was supposed to feel. He was supposed to feel nothing at all. No emotions. What in hell was going on?

He flipped the pages of the book. "A particularly strong connection between the two wizards is required for the potion to work," it said. Tom wondered again why the potion had worked. Liliana and he had no connection whatsoever, except for an ancestor who had lived more than a thousand years before. And still, here he was, powerless, and there she was, free to go back to Hogwarts with Harry Potter.

The rage returned when he remembered the two of them flying together into the night. Something about the way she had been clinging to the boy was angering Tom even more, and he could not fully grasp the reason. If only he could see what was happening with the two of them now...

Suddenly he smirked to himself. Maybe he could not be present where they were, but he could still see into Potter's mind. He had willingly closed the connection between the two of them that summer, but maybe that wasn't a good idea after all. He sat back at the table and closed his eyes, searching, focusing on finding Potter in his mind, and it worked. The feeling of unadulterated happiness rushing through the boy caught Tom completely off-guard, and it hurt deeply, making him wince. What was Potter so happy about? Tom dived deeper in Harry's mind, searching, and what he found there did nothing to alleviate his pain. Potter was so happily in love with Liliana that it was nauseating. Tom felt his head spinning, deadly rage welling up inside him. But the worst was the sudden rush of pain at the thought that Potter was so close to her. It was as if knives were cutting deep in his chest, and Tom instinctively let his anger consume him and Potter as well. He fought to channel his anger towards the boy.

"_Ask her_…._ Ask her who she really is, Potter. Ask her how I got my body back…_" he ordered Potter, and he knew instantly that the connection had worked. Potter was no longer happy; his mood had shifted.

"You don't trust her, do you?" Tom muttered contently to himself, noting how easily he had made Potter doubt Liliana. He would not have guessed it by the way Potter had risked his life to save her.

A few moments later, Tom stood, feeling a lot better. Potter was so easy to manipulate; it almost brought a smile to his face. However, smiling was the last thing that Tom wanted to do. All the feelings suddenly invading him were unfamiliar. Tom had always retained his cold control in all situations. He rarely let anger or hate overwhelm him. They could cloud one's judgment and prove detrimental to the point of being fatal if not controlled.

He exited the room and took the stairs towards a familiar room in the attic, where he leaned against the window sill, scrutinizing the room. The book said that he could not hurt the person who had resuscitated him. It also said that he would automatically feel grateful to the person. All right, he could handle that. It explained why he had felt the urge to save her life earlier that day. Merlin, he did not remember much of it now, just that the moment Jurgen had pinned her to the floor, he was already out of his chair, his wand in his hand, ready to strike down the vampire. It was as if he had felt the imminent danger menacing her.

However, the book did not say that he should feel so possessive of Liliana. He had no idea why he was feeling this way, but he would have liked nothing more than to inflict an endless Crucio on Harry Potter.

A sudden knock on the door startled him. One of the Death Eaters hovered hesitantly in the doorway.

"What is it, Nott?" he asked, a threatening note in his voice.

"Milord, we are ready. Ollivander is downstairs, as you commanded," Nott replied, bowing deeply.

"Very well, now leave!" Tom ordered and turned to look through the window, noting for the first time that the room was offering a perfect view on the entire garden and the main entrance of the Manor. So, that was why his cousin preferred this room…

Tom decided not to linger further and descended the stairs to the main lobby where Ollivander was waiting for him. He had some questions for the old man and needed a new wand — but not just any wand. He had a specific one in mind.

* * *

"So what the hell happened?" Draco asked Liliana as soon as Potter and Snape were out of sight.

"Nothing I could not handle," she replied, smiling soothingly at him. "We had a fight. You know Potter, he's a dumbass. But he left me not far from Hogwarts."

_And in the nasty company of a vampire who would like nothing more than tear me into pieces_, she thought.

She did not mention it, though. It was not Potter's fault that the Slytherins did not have many friends in the wizarding world. But she felt bitter at the thought that she was now the only Slytherin who could still change her family's image. It was a great name to inherit, but it was also a name so feared and hated that Liliana understood why Igor had kept her identity hidden.

"Listen," she said to Draco, who was still giving her a disapproving look, "what you did back there at the Manor was bold and amazing, but it was completely foolish. I could have been dead already, Draco, and you would have risked your life and your parents' lives for nothing. Please promise me you won't do anything like that again."

"I'm sorry, but I cannot promise you that," Draco replied coolly.

They stared hard into each other's eyes for a few long moments. Then Liliana reached and took his hand, intertwining their fingers.

"Then you'll get yourself into even more trouble. You know the worst is still to come for me," she said, looking away and frowning slightly.

"If that is true, then you'll need all the help you can get," Draco replied firmly.

Liliana turned her head to look at him. Her eyes were unusually bright, and before she could say another word to show her gratitude he smirked and said, "No need to get all mushy on me."

Liliana's expression changed instantly. "You wish, Malfoy," she snapped, but she still held his hand.

"Actually, I don't. The reason why you're my best friend is because you are not like most girls," he said, his smirk turning into a genuine smile.

"And because I've always known enough spells to save your sorry ass from countless troubles," she said. "Not to mention the incantations that proved useful…" She drew Riddle's wand and started to heal the bruises on his forehead.

Draco suddenly froze, his eyes growing in alarm.

"What the hell is that?" he roared, grabbing her wrist. "Shit, you must be kidding me…Is this what I think it is?"

Liliana acted as if it was nothing important, but she was well aware of the power of the wand she was holding.

"Yes, it's his wand," she admitted. "I had to take it. Something snapped in me when he destroyed my mother's. I had to do something to leave my mark on him somehow."

"Well, next time convince him to get a tattoo instead," Draco suggested without humor in his voice. "This thing has done so much evil, I can't stand to look at it."

"It's not the wand that did the evil, Draco, it's the man," Liliana said gravely. "It's just an object, and it can also do good. Look, I healed you completely."

Draco grudgingly touched his forehead.

"However, I think Pomfrey was right. The arm is definitely too badly broken to fix it with a spell. You need to stay here and drink your potions. And I should go see Snape."

She moved to stand, but Draco grabbed her hand.

"We need to talk first. I need to know what happened back there."

"I am not sure that this is the right moment, Draco. You are tired and injured."

"Well, _I_ am sure. It's my hand that's broken, not my head. Stop babying me!"

"All right," she sighed and began telling him what had happened from the moment the Dark Lord had taken her from Hogwarts until he had intervened to save her and Snape. However, she carefully let out some details of her story, details that she had yet to figure out the meaning herself.

"Well, at least Mother and Father are safe," was Draco's sole remark when she finished.

"I think they are safe for now," Liliana agreed. "He will be to busy to take his revenge against us before doing anything else."

"They should move to an unplottable location as soon as possible, though," she continued. "I really should go now. Snape is not a particularly patient man."

Exactly at that moment the oak doors opened and Ginny Weasley stepped in, a rose in her hand.

"I definitely should go now. Thank you for everything," Liliana said and bowed down to kiss his forehead. As she passed Ginny by, she noticed the look of irritation on the other girl's face.

"Weaselette, how considerate of you to bring me flowers," she heard Draco drawl mockingly as she exited the room. She smiled to herself; Draco had been obviously nervous upon seeing Ginny come in. There was more about them than just this endless teasing. But it was the least of her problems now.

Liliana took the stairs down to the Dungeons. Once she was there, she made a detour to the Slytherin common room. She needed to take a shower and change before she went to see Snape. First things first, after all.

* * *

As soon as they entered his office, Snape sent a silencing and a locking spell on the door, and then he plopped in the chair behind his desk.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked, looking worriedly toward the door. He set his broom near the doorframe. God, he was far too tired for this.

"It's time for you and I to have a chat that I have postponed for a while now, at Dumbledore's insistence. But circumstances have changed, and therefore I think it would not be advisable to delay it any further."

He tried to sit in a better position and suddenly winced.

"Are you OK?" Harry asked despite himself. Honestly, he could not care less if the slimly bastard was OK or not.

Snape did not answer. He looked at his arm as if he had suddenly remembered something trivial, and grabbing the presse papier on his desk slashed his sleeve open. Harry winced when he saw the countless bloody bruises on the professor's arm. But Snape simply stood and opened one of his cabinets. He poured some unidentified substance on his bruises from a vial, and then he downed the rest.

"I had forgotten about this," he said softly and then turned to look at Harry again. The wounds had disappeared, Harry noted. It seemed like Snape had been so preoccupied with Draco's injuries that he had completely ignored his own. He had to admit that he was impressed with Snape's concern for Draco.

Snape resumed his seat at the desk.

"Sit, Potter!" he ordered. "As I was saying previously, we need to have a talk in order to prevent further follies like the one we saw tonight. I don't know what possessed you to come there, Potter, but it was the most stupid thing you've done. It could have cost Dumbledore and myself all the work we have done to protect you."

"Protect me?" Harry snapped, but the teacher interrupted him. "Yes, Potter, what do you think we have been trying to do? Make sure the Dark Lord would give you a most horrible death? Yes, I've listened blindly to Dumbledore until now. But things seem to have gotten out of control since Liliana has come to Hogwarts. The Dark Lord is after her, and he will stop at nothing."

"I could tell as much," Harry mumbled under his breath.

"I should have stood up to him back then," Snape said in a low tone, hatred lacing his words. "When he killed Lily. Now it is too late. I am no match for him anymore. At the time not all Hocruxes he has now existed. He was much more vulnerable back then. But we were all paralyzed with fear. Should we have known what would come; we would have thought twice about cowering and running away from him."

Harry's head was swaying. He felt dizzy.

"How dare you bring this up?" he yelled. "How can you mention my mother? You are as much her murderer as he is!"

Suddenly, Snape was out of his seat and grabbing Harry's arm.

"I know I am!" he roared. "I sent him right after them! Oh, how I hated James Potter! I hated him for Lily, and I hated him for himself! I even hated him for you!"

Harry winced. Snape seemed to be out of his mind. His fathomless eyes were fixed on Harry as if he was trying to absorb his soul. What the hell was he talking about?

The professor released him as suddenly.

"I loved her. I loved your mother madly. She was my only reason for living. She is still my only reason for living."

Harry froze. He could not fully grasp Snape's words. He could not believe what he was hearing.

Severus stood back, away from the boy.

"He promised me that Lily would live," he whispered and fell back into his chair.

But it was too much for Harry. Before he knew what he was doing, he threw himself at Snape, his hands going straight for the older man's neck, strangling him.

"You worthless, egoistic monster!" he roared.

Snape could have fought him, but he did not. At some point, when he had enough, he pushed Harry back, and Harry gave him a good punch in the face.

"I would do that all day long if I could," Snape said quietly, wiping the blood that stained his chin.

Harry stood there panting, seething with anger and hatred.

"Now you know I live in hell, Potter. I have no escape. I could have let him get me tonight, but I swore that I would protect you with my life. For Lily. For myself. And you are not out of danger, by far."

Harry said nothing, watching him with a dangerous look in his eyes.

At that moment they heard a knock on the door. A moment later, Liliana stepped in after removing the locking spell on the door.

Neither of the men looked at her for a few moments. She closed the distance to Snape's desk.

"You wanted to see me," she said. "What was the emergency?"

Harry stirred, and prepared to leave, but then he heard Snape say something that made him stop in his tracks.

"I believe Dumbledore is either dead or in danger. I think he must have been hurt by the Horcrux he went after the night the Dark Lord was here. We have to rescue him, or we will all bear the consequences."

"So he went without asking for my help!" Liliana said maliciously, a smirk on her lips. "If he had taken me with him, he would have been alive and well, and the whole deal with Riddle would never have happened. Stubborn old man!"

She flipped back her hair and went to sit on the window sill.

"I cannot go. I have to make sure the students are safe. If I am not here tomorrow, the teachers will panic. I will say that I saw Albus tonight and that he went out on another business. I will also make up excuses for you if you are not back until tomorrow morning."

"I hope you mean Potter by "You" because I have no intention of risking my life for that deluded fool. He should have thought twice before doing something so reckless."

Snape hid his shock at Liliana's words.

"Oh, yes, you _will_ go, Karkaroff," Harry spoke, and both Slytherins looked at him in amazement, for different reasons.

Liliana smirked again, and Harry glared at her.

"No way, Potter. He is nothing to me. And so are you!" she spat the words angrily.

"Perhaps," Harry said in a lethally calm tone. "But you will go, because I say so. You owe me your life, if you did forget."

They looked at each other again in dead silence, green eyes scorching on either side.

At length, Liliana turned towards Snape for help.

"Do I have to?"

"Are you a witch or not? You owe Potter a life debt. Don't pretend you don't know what it means," Snape replied.

"Thanks," she muttered, giving Potter another murderous look.

"Very well, Potter, we go after the old fool — and certainly to our deaths."

Harry ignored her words.

"Where do we have to go?"

Sighing, Snape explained them about the Horcrux Dumbledore had gone after. It was a locket that had belonged to Salazar Slytherin. He showed them the location on the map.

"It's not hard to get there, but it is difficult to get into the cave," he explained. "The Horcrux is inside, well protected. But I am counting on you to find it. It should be easier after Dumbledore opened the way."

Harry nodded, picking his broom off the floor.

"I don't care about the Horcrux. It's Dumbledore I want to bring back. Come on, Karkaroff!"

"Wait, take these." Snape opened his cabinet and took two vials out. "Just in case you get hurt. And you can have my broom," he told Liliana. "Please don't break it."

She gave him a mischievous smile and took the broom and the vials.

She leaned towards the professor who looked worried.

"I'll bring them back, don't worry. Alive," she added, with the same smile.

Harry grabbed the map and hurried outside, Liliana following him closely. When they reached the front doors, he looked one more time at the map and prepared to kick off.

"Do you even know where you are going?" the girl's contemptuous voice stopped him.

Harry turned around to look at her.

"That is not the issue here, Karkaroff," he replied in the same tone. "You are bound to follow me into hell, if that is where I wish to go."

With that, he kicked off.


	24. Chapter 24

**Warning: some substance abuse in this Chapter. Once again, all this belongs to JKR. Many thanks to Lisa for betaing.

* * *

**

Chapter 22

**Truce**

Liliana watched Harry open Snape's map to see if they were still heading in the right direction, but she did not say anything. She was in no mood to say anything to him, giving the state of animosity between them. She knew they had no time to lose if they wanted to save the old wizard, but their pride always seemed to get in the way of more important things.

"I think it is down there," Harry said over the noise of waves below, pointing at a huge rock beneath them.

"Let's investigate then," she replied, turning her broom in the direction Harry had indicated.

Harry had already plunged towards the cliff below them.

She followed him carefully with her wand already drawn. Unlike Harry, Liliana was now on guard at all times. Her recent encounter with Voldemort had made her realize how much she had underestimated him. And she was sorry now for having been so naïve. There was no denying that her cousin was the brightest person Liliana had ever met, and she doubted she would ever see anyone like him again. He might be an evil genius, but he was still a genius, and she could not stop wondering about the traps that lay ahead.

That very thought sent a chill down her spine. She wished she was in her dorm at Hogwarts instead trying to save an old fool who had let himself be lured into one of Voldemort's traps.

If it weren't for Harry… Liliana looked at the boy who had landed at the base of the cliff. He was looking for trouble, that much was obvious, but she just didn't feel like turning her back on him. He might have been reckless and annoying, but he was also loyal and brave, and she couldn't stop admiring these qualities in him.

She had no idea where the whole Horcrux story would bring them, but she was not ready to abandon hope that the Harry would live out this war. Not just yet.

In the meantime, the least she could do was to make sure nothing would happen to him, as she had promised Snape.

Harry had stopped at the entrance of what seemed to be a deep cave. After a few steps in, they found themselves in front of a stone wall.

"This is it," Harry said, indicating the map. "But it looks like a dead end. If there were some entrance, Dumbledore would have found it."

Liliana raised her wand, studying the wall. For as far up as she could see, there was no hidden door.

"He probably found, it and he is trapped inside," she muttered.

"Then how do we get in?" Harry asked anxiously.

"Why ask me, Potter?" she asked, feigning innocence.

"Riddle's your relative, not mine," Harry replied, annoyed. "You should know his twisted mind better than me."

Liliana chuckled, amused by Harry's discomfort. He glared at her.

"There is blood on the stone, Auror Potter," she said. "Apparently, we have to donate some if we want in."

He raised his wand and saw she was right. Something red stained the rock.

"Go on, Karkaroff," he invited her.

"I'd rather not," she replied.

"Scared of few drops of blood?" Harry challenged.

"Actually I am scared of what a few drops of _my_ blood can do," she said.

Harry looked stubbornly at her.

"I am not going to do it," he said.

"And might I enquire why?"

"I have you for that."

"Fine," she snapped, and before Harry could even see her move, she had extracted the Slytherin sword from her boot and used it to make a small cut in her arm. Once she stained the wall with it, they were allowed passage.

Liliana put her sword away and followed Harry inside the cave. Inside it was dim, and she raised her wand to illuminate the boards of a large, quiet lake.

"Look there," Harry nudged her. In the middle of the lake there was rock pedestal, submerged in an unnatural greenish light. She nodded and quietly continued to walk around the lake.

"Do you think he's there?" he asked her in a whisper.

"Most probably. The question is, how do we get there?"

"We swim?" Harry tried to be funny as he watched Liliana frown as the opening in the wall closed somewhere to their left.

"Don't be ridiculous. I am not touching this water. The lake is here to protect the Horcrux; that much is obvious. What lies beneath these waters is not important, as long as we don't touch the water and wake them up."

Harry stepped back from the water until his back touched the rock of the wall behind him. "It seems that your dark arts training is paying off, Karkaroff," he said. "So how do we get there?"

Liliana continued to walk, inspecting the surroundings.

"I am not sure. He must have left some means to get on the other side in case he needed to retrieve his Horcrux."

"Well, in that case the means you are looking for is already on the other side, supposing that Dumbledore got there."

"I tend to think he is lying at the bottom of the lake," she said. "He probably did something stupid, like trying to cross the lake by some other means than the one provided by Tom."

Harry glared at her.

"Or maybe you are right Potter. Dumbledore is there," she said, suddenly holding something that looked by a chain.

She started to pull it slowly, and a few moments later a small boat halted in front of them.

"It's too small for both of us," she said, disappointed. "We'll have to cross one at a time. Be careful not to touch the water," she said, as Harry climbed into the boat and swayed dangerously.

"Right," Harry replied, as the boat departed on its own. He could hear his heart racing incredibly fast as he stared into the dark waters of the lake. He urged himself to calm down.

When he reached the green light, his heart jumped again: Dumbledore was lying face down on the rock, near the pedestal. Harry got off the boat in a hurry and turned Dumbledore on his back. The old man's face looked ashen in the already green light surrounding them. Harry felt his neck and noted he had a pulse. There was a goblet in Dumbledore's hand, and Harry wondered what he had been doing with it. Had he been poisoned?

"Wake up, Professor!" he said, shaking Dumbledore. He would have poured some water from the lake on his face, but he did not dare. "You need to wake up now!"

After a few minutes, he felt a familiar presence behind him.

"What do we do with him? He has a pulse," he said.

Liliana looked curiously at the cup in Dumbledore's hand and lifted it.

"He did do something wrong," she said gloomily, turning around and looking at the white basin behind her.

"He surely did not attempt to drink this staff?" she continued, making a face. A golden medallion was at the bottom of the basin, surrounded by some transparent, greenish liquid. Not much of the liquid was left. Liliana concluded that Dumbledore had drunk most of it before passing out.

"Leave that thing; we need to get Dumbledore out of here," Harry said. "Help me, grab his legs."

But she was looking around again, as if something was not right.

"We don't have much time," she said suddenly and took the vials Snape had given her from her pocket.

"Pour these down his throat," she ordered Harry.

She stared at the basin again, puzzled. Then she inserted the goblet in the transparent liquid, filling it with the remaining liquid. She drank it quickly and grabbed the medallion, putting it around her neck then turned to look at Dumbledore who was now awake.

"We should hurry; this is much too easy," she said quietly. "Take the boat Harry!"

He nodded and helped Dumbledore in. The old man was also very quiet, watching Liliana with a concerned look on his face.

"You can get in as well, Harry. Trust me, you won't fall off," Dumbledore said gently, as Harry tried to step away.

Harry hesitated but complied. The small boat floated slowly towards the shore.

Once they reached the other side of the lake, Liliana put the goblet near the basin and pulled back the boat. She tried to step in when an unexpected pain shot through her head, and her vision blurred. It was as if she had plunged in a pitch-black parallel universe. She felt around with her hands, trying to retrieve the chain of the boat and get away from the green island.

But her efforts were in vain. She swayed around uncertainly without finding anything to hold on to.

And then it happened. She was no longer blind: The parallel universe was filling with colors and images, and she was suddenly disconnected from the real world.

She was completly transported to some other place, which looked awfully familiar: the grey and green stone floor, Salazar's large statue, and the woman sitting on her silver throne, swirling the Elder Wand between her fingers, wearing a beautiful silk robe with the hood of her cloak hiding her face. But Liliana somehow knew who she was and a panicked, strangled scream escaped her lips.

She swayed again on her feet and tried to get out of this parallel world she was drawn into by invisible forces. The pain was subsiding, but her body was growing numb. She searched for the wand in her pocket, but just then something cold as ice grabbed her arm and she dropped her wand. Her vision was slowly coming back to her. She glanced around and noticed some white forms surfacing from the depths of the water and moving in her direction. She would have expected some monster to come out of the water, but she realized with a shiver what these creatures could be. The grip on her arm tightened, and another one grabbed her left leg. They were pulling her towards the shore, and she panicked. She tried in vain to _accio_ her wand. Nothing happened. She used all her force and managed to free her leg, but other Inferi were advancing on her now.

"Professor, I think Liliana is in trouble," Harry said to Dumbledore, trying to see what was going on. But from the distance, it proved impossible. "Something's in the lake. Let's go back."

Dumbledore grabbed his arm.

"Stay put, Harry," he advised. "She will soon face magic much more advanced than this. Let's see if she can handle this one."

"But Professor…" Harry was almost sure that Dumbledore was not quite himself after having consumed Riddle's potion.

However, he had no means to get back to the island, as the boat was already there. Some white creatures were coming out of the lake. He had no idea what they could be, but he was sure as hell they were unfriendly and led by dark forces.

Liliana knew she had to do something quickly if she wanted to survive. Apparently Potter and Dumbledore had abandoned her, but she wasn't expecting much from them anyway. Potter must have hated her guts, and Dumbledore did not need any encouragement to get rid of her in the first place. She was on her own and growing desperate.

She kicked yet another Inferus out of her way and looked around for the wand. She could see better now and made a face upon seeing the creature holding her arm. Merlin, they were ugly. She forced her arm free and pushed the creature back into the water. She made a jump back and retrieved her wand. With a spell she sent the Inferi that had climbed from the water back. She did not know any spell that would keep them in the water, and there was no way she could take the boat back now. She looked around in distress as other Inferi started to climb back in the rocky island. She was in trouble…unless….

Liliana took Slytherin's sword out of her boot and put it in the water up to its handle. The whole lake suddenly froze, trapping the Inferi bellow the surface. The ones who had managed to resurface were also frozen half way. She knew she did not have much time, so she ran over the frozen surface towards the shore.

To her surprise, Potter and Dumbledore were still in the cave. The younger man seemed relieved to see her, but her gaze immediately searched Dumbledore's eyes. What kind of treachery was this? He had just stood there waiting how this would end. A wave of hatred suddenly washed over the young girl, but she said nothing, _accioing _her sword instead.

"We have exactly one minute to get out of here," she said and hurried towards the sealed cave entrance.

She cut her arm again and paid her tribute, but nothing happened.

"Shit, Potter, I told you it was a bad idea for me to open it," she said, kicking the wall in frustration.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, staring at the wall.

"Tom took extra precautions in case a Slytherin would try to get anywhere near his Horcrux. By obliging the intruder to shed blood, Tom would know if a Slytherin attempted to go in. And he wanted to make sure that the Slytherin would never get out alive."

Dumbledore looked surprised when he heard the reasoning. He had been wrong, thinking that Riddle's plan was just to weaken the perpetrator. As he had reasoned before, upon reading Igor Karkaroff's letter war in the wizarding world seemed to be just a matter of unfinished business between Salazar's heirs.

"Allow me please," he said and started to use an array of spells on the hidden entrance.

"Hurry up, we only have seconds now," she said.

Indeed, the waters of the lake were slowly defrosting. Harry sent back flying a creature that was climbing out of the water.

Dumbledore finally found the right spell and the wall opened, letting them through. They slid out, as Inferi moved in their direction at impossible speed.

"They mustn't get out!" Dumbledore roared as the entrance remained open behind them.

Liliana who had already mounted her broom, turned around.

"I'll take care of it," she announced darkly, drawing her wand.

"What do you intend to do?" the headmaster asked, but it was too late. A wave of fire washed over the whole surface of the lake, inside the cave. The Inferi disintegrated in the terrible intensity of the fire.

"No!" Dumbledore roared furiously. "Now he will know with certainty that someone was here!"

"That's too bad," Liliana said in the same sinister tone, scanning the cave for any creature that might have escaped, but there were none. "Maybe I want him to know. It's time for him to learn the meaning of fear."

Dumbledore shook his head knowingly.

"Let's go Harry," he said, getting on the broom behind the young man.

Harry nodded, throwing Liliana one last glance, before kicking off. The intensity of her hate for Riddle was so obvious that he wondered again how far she would go to take her revenge. Since when had the hunted turned into the hunter? Or had things been like this from the very beginning? One thing was sure: This war was just starting.

* * *

They reached Hogwarts just before the dawn. The three of them were tired beyond human endurance. They went directly to Snape's office, and he seemed to be waiting impatiently for them.

"Thank Merlin," he said upon seeing Dumbledore. "Are you alright?"

"I am fine," the older man said. "But I would appreciate some more potion, please."

Snape did not need further information regarding the kind of potion the headmaster needed. He opened his cupboard and extracted three vials, throwing one to each of them.

Harry hesitated with the vial in his hand while Liliana drank hers in one breathless move.

"Easy on that, Liliana," Snape said, an amused note in his tone. "Drink up, Potter!"

"What is it?" Harry asked, watching Dumbledore taking a careful sip and capping back the vial.

"It will momentarily restore your energy, but it also has some secondary effects on the subjects."

Snape smiled, a genuinely amused smile, looking at Liliana who was now sitting on the window sill, swirling her wand between her fingers at incredible speed, a goofy grin on her lips.

"I warned you, Miss Karkaroff," he said.

Harry shook his head and took a sip. It took just one instant, and he felt incredibly rested. One more drink and he felt ready to take on Riddle. He smiled.

"Professor, I had no idea you possessed such skills. I would have gone through your cabinets more often."

Snape's smile faltered.

"I was sure it was you, Potter!" he said. "Thank you for confirming!"

"Like it matters now," Harry replied, feeling better by the second.

"Let's try to come back to the matter at hand, please," Dumbledore suggested, taking a seat near the fire. "We need to destroy the Hocrux. Liliana, if you may."

The girl put the vial aside. Her smile was gone, and she was looking at Dumbledore as if she was seeing something very unpleasant.

The old man could read her like an open book: The young Slytherin felt betrayed by his attitude in the cave. From her point of view, he had abandoned her, and she thought she knew why. She thought he considered Tom and herself equally evil, and he did not want to give her any chance to prove him wrong.

She handed him the locket and took out her sword.

"It can do the job as good as Gryffindor's," she said, as if challenging Dumbledore to say the contrary.

The old man gave her a knowing look and then turned to the locket in his hand and almost dropped it in surprise.

"Incredible," he whispered, opening it. "Someone reached that cave before we did."

Snape drew closer to the older man. He looked puzzled.

"But who could have known about the Hocruxes?" he wondered.

"Some people seemed to know. Igor knew, and he did not know it from either of us."

"He knew it from my mother," Liliana cleared up. "She sent an Avada Kedavra at him when they fought, and it did not work. Only one piece of dark magic can keep you alive, if you are touched by the Killing Curse. It was an easy deduction."

"I suppose some other people close to him might have witnessed this kind of event and reached the same conclusion," Snape said. "Although I don't remember anyone else managing to touch the Dark Lord with the Killing Curse."

"Hmm," Harry suddenly intervened. "I think it's become quite obvious for everyone that he is immortal after he survived his own Avada Kedavra. I suppose it was not difficult for some Death Eaters to realize what exactly was keeping him alive."

The three of them eyed him in wonder.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing. That's how I knew what kept him alive, Harry," Dumbledore told him with a kind smile. He opened the locket and gave an incredulous laugh.

"Apparently, someone has even taken the trouble to leave Tom a note."

Snape, Liliana, and Harry gathered behind Dumbledore to read the note over his shoulder. It was very short:

"To the Dark Lord: I will be dead long before you read this, but I want you know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux, and I will destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once more. RAB."

"RAB?" Liliana asked in confusion.

Dumbledore closed his eyes focusing on something, but Snape was faster. "It can only be Regulus," he said. "Regulus Black. Funny, I never knew he had a middle name."

Liliana snorted.

"So this means one Horcrux less to worry about," she said.

"Not necessarily," Dumbledore said seriously. "We have no indication that he actually managed to destroy the thing. I don't remember much about the young man, but he simply disappeared at some point. The Order never found out what happened to him."

"Is he…" Harry tried.

"Well, it wasn't the Dark Lord who killed him. I would have known," Snape said, ignoring Harry.

"Then he might have never made it out of that cave," Dumbledore said. "Only three people seem to have managed to get out alive of that cave. And only one has managed to avoid all of Riddle's traps and she is standing right here."

He looked over his shoulder, eying Liliana. For once, she blinked and looked away.

"Don't forget that you opened the passage back."

"You would have wiped out the Inferi anyway," he snapped. "And you would have eventually found a spell to get you out. _That_ was not the difficult part."

She still looked away, but she was starting to understand Dumbledore's message: He had merely tested her again.

"Professor," Harry said in the silence that followed the tense exchange, "is Regulus Black Sirius' brother?"

"Yes, Harry," Dumbledore replied gently. "Anyway, these findings are unfortunate. I must conclude that there is little chance to retrieve the real Hocrux. It might as well lie on the bottom of that lake, where Regulus probably is."

"Or Regulus might not have been alone, and the other person might have escaped with the Horcrux." Harry tried to sound optimistic.

"Impossible, unless he took an underage student with him," Dumbledore said.

"Or some non-magical creature," Snape continued his line of thought.

"Or magical, but which did not count — like a house elf," Liliana finished the sentence with a sneer that said she considered their reasoning a waste of time. "Let's just go back there."

"You had too much potion young lady," Snape menaced.

"Wait, this last thing that she said can be checked," Harry said.

"And how is that, Potter?" Snape asked with a bored tone.

"It happens that the Black's house elf, Kreacher, now serves me, Professor." Harry accentuated Snape's title with a tad of scorn.

Dumbledore tilted his head.

"Well, Harry, call him. Let's bring some light to this situation," he said. Harry nodded and called Kreacher's name. A moment later the house elf popped in the room. He looked as bad and gloomy as ever, but no matter how distasteful his presence was to Harry, he needed him at the moment.

"Kreacher, bring me Regulus Black's locket, the one you took from Voldemort's cave," Harry said as convincingly as he could, though the whole situation seemed surreal to him.

"No!" Kreacher roared. "That is for Kreacher and for Kreacher only to guard," the house elf said and immediately started to bang his head on Snape's desk for disobedience to his new master.

The four wizards almost burst with joy at his words.

"Oh, God, he really has it," Harry muttered. "Kreacher, bring it to me now or else!"

He grabbed the house elf's skinny shoulder for emphasis.

Kreacher disappeared with another resounding pop.

The four wizards looked at each other in wonder, but they did not have the time to say something before Kreacher reappeared holding a big golden piece of jewelry in his right hand. Harry grabbed it and showed it to Dumbledore.

"Oh, yes, Harry. This is it. This looks like the original," Dumbledore's blackened fingers touched the locket ever so slightly, as if afraid.

He threw Liliana a glance, but again the girl looked away, as if not concerned. Harry ordered Kreacher away.

"Should we open it, Professor?" he asked.

"Definitely not," Dumbledore replied. "Miss Karkaroff, if you may…"

Liliana gestured towards the locket, and it landed in her palm gracefully. She studied it for a long time, trying not to show the emotion inside. It surfaced from somewhere inside her, this inexorable feeling that she was not doing the right thing, that something was wrong.

"I mean to keep the locket after I destroy the Horcrux," she said after a while as neutrally as she could. "This locket belongs to my family. The ring might have been his, but the locket is mine."

Dumbledore resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He was having enough of possessive Slytherins. Was this really an unavoidable family character trait?

"Very well. Please destroy it now," he conceded.

Liliana hesitated for a moment and then she took out her sword once more.

"Bye, Tom," she muttered, before striking the Horcrux with it.

The locket lay now open on the table, inoffensive. It was a bit damaged.

Liliana raised her wand to repair it, but she never made it. She passed out.

Harry was the fastest, though he was not the one standing next to her. He caught her before she touched the floor and stretched her down on Snape's desk.

"Is this normal?" he asked Dumbledore, worried.

"I don't know, Harry," the headmaster replied. "Severus, if you may…"

Snape had already extracted another vial from his cupboard. He let some of the potion touch Liliana's lips. She stirred a moment later and opened her eyes.

"What happened?" she asked quietly.

"You passed out," Dumbledore said, helping her up. Liliana was surprisingly unwilling to get to her feet. She sat uncertainly on the edge of the desk.

"Did the Horcrux touch you in any way?" Dumbledore inquired.

"Not that I'm aware of," she replied. Then she sighed and continued. "I felt sick after I destroyed the first Horcrux. So it's not the first time. But it seems worse this time…"

"Why didn't you tell us?" Snape asked.

"Why do you think?" she retorted, giving him a pointed look. It was obvious though and Dumbledore backed off, a little embarrassed.

"I think it is time to put our cards on the table," he said, addressing to no one in particular. "We have one common enemy and that is Tom Riddle. If we want to defeat him, we need to be honest about the things we know. You see how much help has Harry been to us tonight. We would have never found the Horcrux without him."

"Not to mention he actually saved your life," Liliana suddenly admitted, getting to her feet, but swaying a little. She rested on Snape's arm. "I do not know why I feel so weak when I destroy his Horcruxes, but this is not right. I believe it has something to do with the connection between him and myself."

Snape nodded darkly.

"There are some things that happened while you were out on that rock," Liliana said, responding to Dumbledore's astounded stare. "Tom was here the evening you left. He took me to his hiding place —Malfoy Manor…"

As Dumbledore simply stood there wordless, she continued: "He wanted to kill me, and the only way to pay my way out of this situation was to make him regain his old appearance… Professor, why don't you show him your memory, he will understand better."

"Why do not show me _your_ memory, Liliana?" Dumbledore asked surprisingly fast.

Liliana's stare flickered just one moment, but it was enough for Dumbledore to know. There was more than Snape could ever show him, and there was more to whatever he might have witnessed.

"I'll tell you why she won't show it," Harry suddenly said. "It's something that she would never say…"

Liliana looked at him expectantly.

"If we really have to tell the truth now, it's the very proof of her cowardice. She _offered_ to make him stronger in exchange for her life. She actually believed Voldemort would spare her. Voldemort, of all people." Harry snorted.

_Thank you Harry_, Liliana thought when Snape and Dumbledore looked at Harry thunderstruck. This was definitely _not _what she was trying to keep a secret. Of course, it affected her image for Dumbledore and Snape to know the truth, but she knew that Snape at least would understand her reasons. There were other things in her memories that she wanted to keep to herself, such as the discussion she had had with Tom in the attic, his offer to join him, and the things that had followed. No, she definitely did not want to think about the things that had followed that discussion. The sooner she got them out of her mind, the better.

She watched Snape open another cupboard and take out a small Pensive. He extracted a selection of memories he had from the last days and put them in the Pensive.

"If you may, Headmaster," he invited Dumbledore.

They waited in silence while he saw them. Snape looked disapprovingly at Liliana, but he did not otherwise comment.

Harry resisted the urge to give him another punch in his ugly nose. Had he done something like Liliana, Snape would have had his head on a plate. But because this was Liliana Karkaroff…no, Liliana Slytherin, he was simply giving her a disapproving look, and that was it. Fuck the old bastard.

He was awoken from his thoughts by Dumbledore who had finished and turned to look at them.

"It's bit too much for an old man to digest all that so suddenly," he admitted and looked gently at Harry. "Thank you, Harry. Thank you for everything. For saving all of us. But please, don't forget you are the most important one. Don't put yourself in danger anymore."

Harry would have never taken these words from anyone else without commenting.

"Well, this puts things in a completely different perspective," he continued, looking at Liliana now. "You do realize he will stop at nothing to kill you now, don't you?"

She nodded quietly.

"We will have to see what the nature of your connection is in order to figure out this mystery. But this is beyond any kind of magic that I have ever witnessed or heard of. We'll have to look deeper into all this. But for now, I believe we all need a rest," Dumbledore said.

"Are we going to continue to search for the other Horcruxes, Professor?" Harry asked.

"We'll do this together, Harry. I tried to do it on my own, and I was twice mistaken. I admit my faults. From now on, we'll act as a team."

Harry agreed.

"I think we should get some sleep before the day starts. We will discuss further how we will deal with the remaining issues. Sleep well."

As Harry and Liliana proceeded towards their respective Houses in quiet enmity, Dumbledore turned to Snape, a tired expression on his face.

"We are running out of luck — and of time," he said.

"Maybe, maybe not. We are a team now, as you said. But we have one question remaining and gaining relevance as we speak. We'll have to tell her as soon as possible that she is the only one who can do it."

Dumbledore acknowledged his comment with a repressed shiver.

Indeed, not very much time remained until Liliana would have to destroy the last of Riddle's Horcruxes.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 23**

**Breaking the Ice**

Harry stabbed absentmindedly at his omelet; he'd been trying to ignore his best friends' anger all morning, but it was to no avail. He felt he could not share the entire truth about his most recent expeditions with them. Not just yet. Ron knew he had been away all night, and he hadn't hesitated to share this information with Hermione. After all, they might have been angry with each other, but it was even better if they could be both angry with Harry.

"Harry, I never thought we would come to a point when you didn't trust us anymore," Hermione said, letting her spoon fall on the table.

The noise startled Ginny who was keeping a low profile that morning and had not asked Harry any questions at all.

"Yeah, mate, you know you can tell us anything. Have we ever betrayed you?" Ron added.

"Honestly, Harry, why are you doing this? You know you can count on us with anything!" Hermione said, lowering her voice.

Harry sighed and took off his glasses. He rubbed his forehead tiredly. He thought that the least Dumbledore could have done for Harry saving his life was to let him skip morning classes. But the headmaster believed they needed to act normally so as not to raise suspicions. He was tired beyond endurance, beyond what he could possibly describe in words. Interrogation was the last thing he needed right now — right behind double DADA with Snape. Maybe the greasy bastard would be tired as well and leave him alone. _Keep dreaming_, Harry scolded himself. _Better_ _look at the bright side: at least it's not double Potions._

He threw a glance over his shoulder. Malfoy and Karkaroff were not at the Slytherin table. At least Malfoy had an excuse — he was ill — but Karkaroff was blatantly ignoring Dumbledore's orders. So much for keeping up appearances.

He turned back to Hermione. They were asking the impossible. He was not able to answer their questions and satisfy their curiosity and still be able to keep other people's secrets. He shrugged.

"I'm sorry," he said. "But I cannot tell you where I was last night. I am safe now, and everything is OK. I promise to let you know if I have to go again. I'm sorry, but I really cannot say anything — at least for now. The less you guys know, the better it will be for you."

"Don't be dramatic, Harry," Ginny suddenly said, fluttering her lashes at him. "So, did you finally hook up with Karkaroff? Yes or no, spare us the details please…"

Neither Harry nor Ron and Hermione enjoyed the joke.

"As if," Hermione muttered under her breath.

Harry stood, hesitantly taking two apples from the table and stuffing them in his bag. Ron gawked at him.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing. I'm going to class. See you guys in a moment."

With that he left the table. He still had about three quarters of an hour to class.

Somehow he thought it made sense to go and check on Malfoy. He had been of great help the previous night, and Harry felt grateful and a bit of admiration for his courage, as well. Who knew that his childhood rival — a complete jerk — would change in an entirely unforeseeable manner? With a bit of malice, Harry asked himself how long it would take Malfoy to turn back into a jerk now that he knew his family was no longer in danger and his dear Liliana was safe?

Harry crossed the yard to the hospital wing whistling an unknown song. He did not manage to avoid Pomfrey as planned, because she was right in the lobby, giving him a nasty look.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked when Harry tried to push the doors to the room where he had left Malfoy several hours ago.

"I came to see Malfoy," he replied carefully. "Is he OK?"

"He's a brat, that's what he is," Pomfrey commented. "He's not ready to go yet, but he is better." With that, she pushed past Harry, carrying a basket with supplies on her arm. She went into her office, and Harry opened the doors, which revealed the long row of beds and only one patient: Malfoy was lying on his back on several pillows, playing with a golden Snitch. Harry watched him for a few moments and concluded that Malfoy was definitely skilled. The Snitch never managed to get away: As soon as Malfoy released it, the tiny thing would try to fly away, but Draco was simply too fast for it.

"Go away, woman. I told you a million times I don't need anything," Malfoy suddenly said.

Harry did not answer. He walked in his direction, and Malfoy continued to play with the Snitch, ignoring him, until Harry stopped near his bed. Draco finally raised his gaze and a fleeting expression graced his features for a second. But before Harry could interpret it, it vanished.

"What are you doing here, Potter?" the Slytherin asked casually.

Harry tried a smile. "I thought I'd drop by to see how you are," he said.

Draco rolled his eyes.

"What did I tell you before going there, Potter?"

Harry did not answer, but he could see what was coming.

"You promised this would not change the status quo between us. Why are you doing this?"

Harry still did not answer. He searched in his bag and retrieved the apples, throwing Draco one.

"Why doesn't she let you go now?" he asked, taking a bite of his apple.

"She said she wants to keep me here for observation. I am going out of my mind alone in here, Potter," Malfoy admitted, pouting a little.

Harry almost laughed. Malfoy surely had an authority problem. His parents had probably always satisfied all his whims. He was such a child at times!

After a few silent moments, Malfoy moved his legs aside, and Harry sat on the edge of the bed.

"What did Snape want last night?" the Slytherin asked, more appeased, taking a bite of his apple.

"Well, Dumbledore got himself into trouble," Harry said, and recounted to Draco the rest of his nightly exploit.

Draco chewed on his apple without showing any sign of surprise.

_Liliana was pretty sure that the old man was up to something_, he thought, giving Potter a guarded look. _She was right after all. You can't trust him_. Of course, the Gryffindor didn't need to know that. Potter was utterly naïve, and damn it, Draco Malfoy was the last person on earth who would want to waste his time to make him see the truth.

"So, you got your hands on one of Tom's Horcruxes," he commented, when Harry finally stopped talking and looked expectantly at Draco, waiting for some kind of reaction to his story. "Have you seen Liliana since she destroyed the Horcurx?"

"So, you knew they were dangerous for her," Harry said.

"Yes, she mentioned it when she first destroyed one. She wasn't giving it too much thought, but the repercussions were there," Draco admitted. "So what is Dumbledore's plan now?"

Potter finished his apple, lost in thought.

"Dunno," he replied. "He said he was too tired to tell us anything last night. Said he needed rest. I guess he will call all of us today and share his thoughts. He said we will work as a team from now on."

Draco did not look convinced. _I'd like to see that happening_, he thought instinctively. He did not trust Dumbledore anymore than Liliana did.

"I need to get out of here, Potter. This is driving me mad," he told Harry, flexing his injured arm. "She has no reason to keep me here anymore, but I have a feeling she enjoys annoying me."

"Maybe Pomfrey enjoys your company Malfoy," Harry said, smiling evilly.

"Don't even get me started, Potter," Malfoy replied. "Just because they are older doesn't mean that they are decent. You'd be surprised," he added with a knowing smile.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked intrigued.

"Wouldn't you like to know, Potter! I know this is a strange concept for someone as ugly as you, but some men have a certain effect on most women."

Harry rolled his eyes and stood.

"Guess what, I don't want to know. Actually, I don't give a shit. I should go to class before Snape strangles me."

"Why can't we switch places?" Draco said to no one in particular, falling back on his pillows in exaggerated dismay.

Harry stopped in his tracks, throwing a look around. He understood Malfoy's situation because he had been stuck in the hospital wing so many times that he'd had lost count. Sighing, he extracted the invisibility cloak from his pocket and threw it to Malfoy.

"Come on, let's get out of here!"

Malfoy seized the cloak and jumped off the bed, folding it around himself.

"Yeah, let's go!" he said, following Harry out of the room. They did not meet anyone on the way out.

"I'll just get the books. We still have five minutes," Draco said to Harry, when they finally made it to the entrance hall. He took off the cloak and gave it back to Harry.

"Malfoy, I am going to class. I am not planning to wait for you," Harry said.

"You'll be late anyway. You can't make it there in five minutes."

"Yes I can!"

"Are you going to fly or what?" the Slytherin mocked, starting for the dungeons. "Come on Potter, you can't be _that_ afraid of Severus, can you?"

Harry looked after Malfoy and then to his watch. He was going to be late.

"What is it with you Slytherins and breaking the rules?" he muttered under his breath.

He waited for a few minutes, ignoring the scared looks of some first years who were escorted to class by their prefect. Draco appeared very soon after, his book bag on his shoulder.

"I can't wait to see Severus' face when he sees me," he said, smirking.

"So it was all about pissing Snape off because he sided with Pomfrey last night. You are so predictable, Malfoy. And so is Snape: He will give us both detention."

"No he won't, Potter. You'll see."

Smiling contently, Draco made his way to DADA class without noticing that Harry was also smiling. The Gryffindor had his motives: He knew that his new association with Draco would make certain people angry.

* * *

Liliana covered her head with the pillow, trying in vain to ignore the unbelievable amount of noise teenage wizards could make on their way out for breakfast that morning. She was far too tired to even try a silencing spell, especially without a wand. Resigned, she checked her watch and groaned. She was in no mood for breakfast or class after sleeping for only two hours in the last seventy-two. She decided to ignore Dumbledore and Snape's directives until she felt capable of rising from this suddenly unbelievably comfortable bed. She fell back into unconsciousness a moment later.

When she woke up, Slytherin house was quiet. She rubbed her eyes and sat on the bedside and held in her head in her hands for a few moments. She felt dizzy and sick and remembered Snape's potion; she should have listened to him and not drank all of it. She looked at her watch again. It was almost ten, and Snape was probably through the first hour of his DADA class.

She got out of bed, pulled the curtains, and shuddered, remembering that Hogwarts was no longer a safe place for her. She had no idea why she had returned here in the first place. What was she going to do now — play student until Riddle decided to give it another try at ending her life?

As volatile as he was, it would not take an impressive amount of time before that would happen. And Liliana knew she had done her best to challenge him.

She wondered vaguely if Dumbledore and Snape would be able to come up with a viable plan. Most unlikely. They hadn't dreamed of such a situation even in their most frightening nightmares. One thing was sure: They had been through so many dreadful situations and lost so many friends and allies that they just could not treat her case as special in any way. The only special thing about her was her origin.

She found her robes on the floor where she had discarded them the evening Tom Riddle had showed up at Hogwarts and inflicted a Cruciatus on her in this very room. The sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach intensified when she threw the robes on the bed and Tom's diary fell on the floor. Had Nagini suddenly Apparated in the room she would not have had such a disproportionate reaction. She literally jumped back, out of breath, her heart pounding. After a few moments of staring at the diary as if at an unseen enemy, she walked carefully around the bed, purposefully ignoring the black notebook on the floor, to the armoire and grabbed a towel and retrieved her new wand.

A moment later she left the room for the showers. If she was now awake, the least she could do was to go to class.

* * *

Harry was surprised to see how right he had been about people's reactions to his and Malfoy's appearance to class that morning. He fully savored the Slytherins' reactions — they seemed petrified, except for Crabbe and Goyle who wore their usual dim-witted expressions and did not seem to realize that something was not right.

Harry and Draco pushed through the doorframe at the same time, unwillingly bursting into laughter as they realized what they've done. But their laughter died quickly as they managed to get into the classroom and noticed Snape's glare.

"I understand that you find it amusing when you're late to my class Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter. I am afraid I do not share your point of view. Ten points from your respective houses. "

Malfoy shrugged as if this was none of his business and sat in the front row at the only unoccupied desk. Harry threw a glance to the free spot near Hermione, but his moment of hesitation was short. He sat near Malfoy, trying hard to suppress his smile, and grabbed his DADA book from his bag. Snape gave them another threatening look before continuing his explanations.

They sat in silence for the rest of the hour. But during that time, they were aware that their classmate's eyes were fixed on them, as if they were expecting something extraordinary to happen at any moment.

At the end of the first hour, Snape suddenly decided that he had had enough of talking and paired his students for practice. Surprisingly enough, he completely ignored Harry and Draco. So Harry took out his wand and got Draco — who was reading his book unconcerned — to pay attention to him.

"Apparently, she decided not to come to class today," Harry said. "So let's just practice together."

Malfoy raised his eyes from the book and gave Harry a bored look.

"No shit, Potter. I had not noticed that Karkaroff was not here. Any other news you'd like to share with me?"

"Shut up, Malfoy!" Harry snapped, stung.

"What's with you and Karkaroff anyway?" Malfoy continued annoyed. "This little game of yours is getting old. I thought you sorted out your differences last evening. Your little heroic intervention should have helped."

Harry genuinely blushed. Apparently he could not fool Malfoy. "She's not who I thought she was," he whispered.

"Of course she's not," Draco replied, a tad of amusement in his voice. "You think she's just playing hard to get, but you're wrong."

"I do not…That's not what I meant." Harry protested, turning a deeper shade of red. Two girls preparing for practice giggled, looking at them.

"Whatever," Malfoy said. "But just bear in mind that she's the worst kind of Pureblood."

"What do you mean?"

"It means that she's extremely prejudiced, and she will never change. Remember that! Now, let's practice, or he'll have a reason to kill us."

Harry nodded, and they moved toward an unoccupied corner of the room, waiting for Snape to give orders to them.

"Use every spell you know to disarm and immobilize your adversary. The winner of each pair will get twenty points."

"That should raise the odds for you, Malfoy. I think that you and Karkaroff have lost a lot of points for your house lately."

"Don't be ridiculous, Potter. It's not as if you actually stand a chance against me."

"You might be better at potions Malfoy, but you haven't stood a chance against Harry in DADA since second grade," Hermione said. She was standing near them, and she did not have an adversary.

"You'll pair up with me, Miss Granger. And you'd better focus on something else than Mr. Potter's talents while we practice."

"Yes, Sir," Hermione replied, turning to Snape and coloring a little in embarrassment.

"We shall see about that," Malfoy muttered, drawing his wand.

"Don't tell me you've been holding back all these years, Malfoy!" Harry mocked.

"Let's just say that I've acquired some new skills lately," the other boy answered and bowed to his adversary. Snape glared at him while sending a body-binding curse at Hermione. She jumped aside and sent a leg-locker jinx at Snape. "Come on, Miss Granger, I know you can do better than this," Snape said, wordlessly waving away her spell.

Harry bowed to Malfoy and in memory of his last fight against Malfoy he sent an immediate _Petrificus totalus_ at the other boy, who deflected it quite easily by conjuring an invisible protective shield. A moment later Draco fired a Reductor curse that missed Harry's head by an inch and pierced a hole through the classroom's wall.

"I see you're not kidding around Malfoy!" Harry yelled, ducking to avoid another curse and taking cover behind a locker.

"Like I said…" Malfoy replied, but there was no amusement in his voice.

"And I said immobilize, not send the adversary in a pile of ashes to the hospital wing," Snape roared, but Potter and Malfoy were too far gone to listen now.

Enraged, Harry threw an Incarcerous spell at Malfoy, who took refuge behind a desk. They continued to throw curses at each other without success for a while without noticing that the other students had stopped practicing and formed a circle around their battleground, watching them. Snape had joined them and was watching, concerned they might do something stupid.

"You're delusional if you think you can beat me, Potter!" Malfoy yelled from behind his desk.

"This is getting a bit old, don't you think, Malfoy?" Harry replied, sending a Reductor spell that destroyed the desk. Malfoy winced, but recovered quickly, destroying Potter's cover in turn.

"_Levicorpus_!" he yelled, but Harry had just sent a Patronus charm his way, trying to immobilize the other boy.

Suddenly, Harry was hanging upside down in the air and Malfoy was fighting to get out of the encirclement of the Patronus.

There was general buzz in the classroom for a few minutes, but it started to change at some point into a freezing silence. Over the light shed by Harry's Patronus, Malfoy saw his classmates giving way to Karkaroff who was approaching them, wand in hand. The students halted their chatting and were giving her curious looks, as everyone had noted she had been missing classes for several days, not to mention the Slytherins who had last seen her being dragged out of their quarters by Voldemort himself. They had thought she had been killed, so this apparition was by far weirder than Potter and Malfoy's earlier on.

However, nothing equaled Potter and Malfoy's reactions; they both looked as if they wanted to be anywhere else but there. Potter ended his own spell and whispered _Finite incantatem_ to get out of his embarrassing situation. He landed with a painful thud on the floor and got up quickly up to face her. Malfoy straightened and took a dignified stance.

Karkaroff simply stood motionless, staring at them for a few moments. Her chiseled features seemed carved into stone, pale as she was, and her dark green eyes seemed even deeper than usual due to the lack of sleep. She was wearing the uniform and boots, but her clothes looked untidy. Her face remained expressionless the whole time.

"I am sorry for being late, Professor," she lied effortlessly, "but Madam Pomfrey just let me go now. I told her I was supposed to be here at nine, but she insisted that I have some breakfast first."

She said this without glancing away from Harry and Draco.

"I see," Snape said, smirking. "Since you are here now, you'll pair up with Longbottom and practice. Longbottom will explain the rules. Potter and Malfoy, my office. Now!"

The two students followed him into his private office.

"You'll both serve detention this evening for destroying my classroom. You'll put everything in order here! Understood? Then, you will join us for a short meeting in the headmaster's office."

"Professor, when you say us…" Harry said.

"I mean Dumbledore and myself," Snape replied, signaling them to get out.

"One more thing if I may, Professor," Draco said "who won the practice duel?"

"Isn't it obvious that it was a draw, Mr Malfoy? Now get out, I have work to do."

"A draw…sure," Malfoy muttered under his breath as they exited Snape's office.

"Are you contesting our teacher's judgment, Malfoy? You, the teacher's pet, of all people? Please!"

"Fuck off, Potter!" Malfoy retorted, jabbing Potter in the ribs.

Harry pushed him aside and grinned. "Just like old times, eh?"

"Sort of."

A moment later class ended. They started for the door, when suddenly Harry felt a firm grip on his arm. Malfoy had already left the room. He whirled around, expecting to see Ron; instead he found himself looking at Karkaroff.

"What do you think you're doing, Potter?" she asked, without hiding her anger.

He raised an eyebrow at her, feigning innocence.

She frowned and let go of his arm.

"Stop this game immediately, and leave Draco alone."

Harry gave her an arrogant smile.

"It's called breaking the ice, Karkaroff. Watch and learn."

With that, he turned around and left.

* * *

A/N: many thanks to Lisa for betaing. Hope you liked the Malfoy Potter interaction. Don't forget to review!

Chantal


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 24**

**Changes**

The house was grand, more a palace than the usual wizard residence. The Parkinson's home was surrounded by 40 acres of luxurious gardens. The palace itself had 10 bedrooms, two guest suites, one huge sitting room, two dining rooms, and a few unused chambers stuffed with old things. Finally, there were several rooms for the house personnel, including the house elves.

The lady of the house was Elaine Parkinson, a widow still in her early 40s. Her husband had died almost 15 years earlier under dubious circumstances. Rumour had it that he had been killed by the Order of the Phoeninx while on a mission for the Dark Lord. It was also said that ever since the Parkinson widow, who had not been involved in the first war, had become a sustainer of the Dark Lord's cause, together with her son, Ralph, who was now part of Voldemort's inner circle. The younger child — a girl by the name of Pansy — was still a student at Hogwarts.

Anyone close to the family knew that the rumours were true. Ralph Parkinson had not been at home for months, but from time to time he would send his mother a letter, keeping her informed about his activities and his whereabouts. He only confided in her. She had been the one pushing him into the service of the Dark Lord as soon as rumours about his return had been heard. She wanted revenge against the Order of the Phoenix at all costs, and the best way of obtaining what she wanted was to back Voldemort's cause. So when her son told her the Dark Lord needed a new safe house, she was more than happy to accomodate him and his followers.

By the time Voldemort made his appearence, she had taken all possible measures to prepare for his stay. She was, however, surprised by small number of wizards who arrived that morning. They were only 10: nine men and one woman. Most of them seemed to be in their 40s, so they must have been followers of the Dark Lord from his first rise to power. But that was to be expected: Only his most loyal followers were part of his inner circle. A small smile of satisfaction danced on Elaine Parkinson's lips as she descended the stairs to welcome them. It was a great honor for Ralph to be so close to the greatest wizard of all times.

Ralph was leading the group onto the main hall, also smiling. She felt happy just seeing his face. He was only 23 and had achieved so much: After graduating from Hogwarts, he had been a mediwizard with the Aurors' Department. Then he had taken the Dark Mark, and now he never left his master's side.

Elaine quickly examined the others. They were easily recognisable: Their pictures were everywhere, with substantive ransoms added under their names. The most notorius was probably the woman, Bellatrix Lestrange.

As they stopped in front of her, some of them examinig her carefully and others looking behind her at the house, Elaine asked herself where the Dark Lord was. There was no one there that resembled the terrible drawings of him in the newspapers.

Ralph bowed and kissed her hand. "Mother," he said.

She smiled at her son. "Welcome to my house. Please..." she adressed the group and bowed.

"Mother, may I introduce Lord Voldemort," Ralph said, obviously nervous, as if a first-year student.

A young man to whom she had not given too much attention stepped from behind Ralph and bowed his head, bringing her fingers to his lips in a very formal, outdated manner.

"Mylord, this is my mother, Elaine Parkinson," Ralph said.

The matron gave a feeble smile and bowed deeply in turn. She hoped that her embarasement was not obvious. She had been taken completly by surprise by the Dark Lord's appearance. Why had not Ralph said anything about it?

Voldemort raised his hypnotic, dark eyes on her, and for a split second she thought he could see right through her, as if she were made of glass. She numbly wondered if his eyes were black or dark blue, but it was difficult to say in the dim light.

Then he said, in a rich voice barely louder than a whisper, "We have had a long, eventful night. My men are tired. We would be greatful if you could show us to our accomodations,"

"Follow me, if you like," Elaine Parkinson replied, stepping into the entrance hall.

She noticed the huge snake at the last moment, as it found its way towards the garden.

"I have prepared a suite for you facing the forest," she told Voldemort as he climbed the stairs at her side.

He hesitated for a moment.

"I would like one facing the entrance of the house, please," he replied quietly.

"As you wish, my lord," she replied, opening the doors to the most spacious room in the house.

While the matron accomodated Voldemort, his followers waited for her in the lobby.

They looked at each other in silence for a while until Bellatrix pushed open the doors of the living room and they went to sit down around a luxurious table.

"So, will we be safe here?" someone asked.

"I do not like Parkinson, but the Dark Lord trusts him. So we should trust him as well," Travis replied.

"You don't like Ralph because you feel threatened by him," Bellatrix remarked, her tone contemptuous. "We all know why. But do not worry, the Dark Lord cannot dispose of your services. Ralph is not real competition for you."

Travis gave her a dark look, but he did not otherwise comment. It was futile to argue with her anyway. Now that Snape was gone, she had the best chance of becoming Voldemort's favorite. They all knew it. But while Snape had never hurt any of them, Bellatrix was unpredictable and dangerous. No one wanted her as his enemy.

"What do you think caused the deal with Snape?" Goyle asked.

"The Dark Lord finally saw the traitor that Snape was," Bellatrix said triumphantly.

"It must have had something to do with the girl," another Death Eater remarked.

"I don't think the Dark Lord killed Potter and her," Rockwood said.

House elves appeared, bringing refreshments to the guests.

"I don't believe he even tried to kill her. Why would he have tried? You told me he challenged the vampires just to protect her. Something is not adding up," Greyback said.

"What are you saying Greyback?" Bellatrix intervened.

"He was keen about this treaty with the vampires, though I advised him not to seek their help. Everything was in place, and he suddenly gave up on the whole deal for this girl. She seems to be precious to him for some reason. He got his body back thanks to her. Maybe he has other reasons to keep her alive. She must be very valuable somehow."

Bellatrix rolled her eyes. "As if it mattered. As soon as I get my hands on her, she will suffer, I promise you that. And if she dies in the process, I am ready to pay the price."

Greyback chuckled darkly. "It may be a price higher than you can pay, _Bella_."

Discussions halted when Mrs Parkinson entered the room and offered to show them their rooms.

* * *

"Daydreaming and leaving colleagues to do all the work is not a practice I encourage during my class, Miss Karkaroff." Slughorn's voice made Liliana wince. She turned to look at him as he stood near the desk she was sharing with Draco.

He was right, of course: She had not done anything during class. She was too tired, and suspiciously enough, her capacity to stay focused was reduced on one thing: Riddle's diary in her room. She had been obsessing over it from the moment she had left the Slytherin common room that morning. Not even Potter's newfound friendship with Draco had succeeded in distracting her for longer than 10 minutes. And Slughorn's boring class did not help either.

"I think it's time you switch partners. Go join Miss Granger, She seems in need of a partner."

Both Liliana and Hermione gave him nasty looks.

"Bloody idiot," Liliana muttered under her breath. Draco coughed to cover his laughter.

"He still does not like you," he whispered to her.

"Why would I care if he likes me or not?" Liliana replied, grabbing her things and moving them to Hermione's desk.

Liliana checked her watch while Granger continued to work without paying her any attention. She threw a glance over her shoulder and noticed that Potter was overtly studying her, while Weasley was slicing some roots for the potion they were supposed to prepare.

There were only 10 minutes left until the end of the class, so Liliana decided to ignore Granger in her turn and she opened her fourth year Potions book. She was still lagging behind her classmates, and she knew she had to continue work privately. However, everything seemed so useless now when Riddle knew of her existence. No matter what Dumbledore believed, their plan was compromised. She knew Riddle was not the kind of person to wait for the right moment to strike. Dumbledore was that kind of person. Riddle was a man of initiative, and he would not refrain from taking action very soon. Damn it, she was doing it again. She was thinking about Tom Riddle. What the hell was wrong with her? She just had to read that diary; she had to learn more about him. She stared blankly at her book until the bell rang and they were ready to leave for lunch.

"I gained 20 points," Draco said on their way to the Great Hall.

"Great!" she commented without really paying attention. "Draco, I have to go get something from my room. I'll see you later, OK?"

"We do not have class this afternoon. Let's play Quidditch after lunch, what do you say?"

"Yeah, OK," she said, already turning around the corner.

* * *

As soon as he stepped onto the balcony of his new room, Tom bitterly regretted his choice of accommodation. It had a stupendous view of the gardens, of the hills surrounding the property, and somewhere in the distance, on the hill, he could see Hogwarts. He had not realized they were so close to his old school. He had not paid too much attention on the way to the Parkinson residence, relying on Ralph's guidance.

For a moment, he contemplated the idea of asking for another room, but he dismissed this possibility immediately, as he did not want to look like an undecided fool. Still, the view was utterly unpleasant. Being so close to Hogwarts was annoying, not because of the school itself — as it had been his only true home — but because his most important enemies lived inside its walls.

Dumbledore. Snape. Potter and …. They were all hiding there. They thought they were safe, but they were wrong. He just needed some time to see what was wrong with him, and then he would deal with them once and for all.

But as he stared at the old castle with a vengeful eye, a feeling of longing unexpectedly invaded him. He remembered once again his situation and kicked the side of the balcony furiously. He was sure that somehow the secondary effects of the potion he had taken were growing stronger. He could not explain how it was possible, but there was nothing more he wanted than to see Liliana again. It was completely unreasonable. He hated her…

"I hate her, I really do," he muttered. "It's not as if…"

He did not want to follow that train of thought to the end, because it scared him more than death itself. It was something he had succeeded avoiding all his life. This could not happen to him now. It was just too cruel. It had to be the potion. He had to find a cure and quickly. The worst was that he could not ask for help. It was simply degrading. His followers could not know about this weakness.

He left the balcony and went to sit on his bed, but the unwanted thoughts and images continued to fill his head, relentlessly: Liliana sleeping in her room at Hogwarts the first time he had seen her, holding his hand while they were flying over the sea, watching while he was preparing the potion…

He had been continuously thinking about her since they had left Malfoy Manor that morning. It seemed to get worse by the moment. And this desire to see her again…it was unreasonable.

It had to be the potion, but he remembered that he had felt the strange connection between them from the moment he had confronted her in her room at Hogwarts. He could not fool himself any longer. Whatever this thing between them was, she had to feel it too. It could not just affect him. And deep inside, he hoped it did not only affect him.

Swearing, Tom got up, opened a drawer, and retrieved his broom. He was not sure that he could fly inside Hogwarts without it and preferred not to take the risk. Folding his cloak around himself, he walked to the door. He had to see Liliana again. He had to understand what was happening to him and the nature of the connection between them. He had to make sure that the situation between them was created by magic. Because if it was not magic, he was in the deepest trouble of his life.

* * *

"Come on, Karkaroff, just one game, please. Let's just trash Davis, and then you can read that damn book. Why is it so important anyway?"

Liliana already regretted that she had agreed to follow Draco to the Quidditch pitch to cheer him on. For someone so recently hurt, he surely acted irresponsibly. He wanted to play what he called a friendly game against a joint Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff team. Roger Davis from Ravenclaw was playing Seeker. However, Draco was still missing two players, as no one wanted to join the Slytherins. He was now trying in vain to convince Liliana to join him.

She put Tom's diary in her pocket when she saw Potter approaching with Ginny Weasely.

"Malfoy," Potter greeted cheerfully, "I see you are preparing to be humiliated."

"Shut up, Potter. We will win this game. Davis doesn't stand a chance."

"Your team seems incomplete though," Ginny remarked casually.

"I am dealing with it right now. Come on Karkaroff, just one game."

"I said no, Draco. I accompanied you here, but now I am going back as I said I would."

Potter chuckled.

"Is that your definition of "dealing with it," Malfoy?"

"I thought I told you to shut it," Draco snapped.

"Even if she plays," Ginny said under Liliana's threatening glare, "you are still short one player."

"I can play Seeker," Potter offered.

"Excuse me Potter, you seem to misunderstand the situation. This is my team! Therefore I play Seeker," Malfoy bellowed.

"So we agree on the principle that Ginny and I can play on the team. It's just a matter of who plays what…"

Liliana, who had moved to sit on a bench, her hand still clutched on Riddle's diary in her pocket gave Potter an almost admiring look. He was more of a Slytherin than she had expected.

Draco sighed and appeared to give in. "Very well. Better with you than without a team."

"Should I take that as a compliment?" Potter asked.

"Take it as you like, Potter. Now, you and Weaselette can play Beater. As you see Crabbe is missing being in detention, and Karkaroff does not wish to play."

"Let's make sure we can win," Potter said in a conciliatory tone. "Davis can be pretty nasty. Let me play Seeker."

"Don't even dream of playing Seeker in my team, Potter," Draco said without leaving any room for argument.

They stood in silence for a while, facing each other, arms crossed.

Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Then I should play Seeker," she stated.

Potter and Malfoy gave her incredulous looks.

"It will be your business to protect me as Beaters," she continued.

The two boys exchanged a rapid look.

"Don't make me regret this, woman," Draco growled, mounting his broom.

"Yay!" Ginny cried happily. "Let's trash Davis."

The three of them kicked off. Liliana smirked when she noticed that Davis looked now a bit nervous. A Slytherin-Gryffindor team was against all odds. And a Potter-Malfoy alliance was something impossible to image. Still, there they were, preparing to ruin his afternoon.

Liliana watched the game for a while in amusement. Most of the time Davis had to look out for Potter and Malfoy sending Bludgers at him.

By the looks of it, the game would not last long. She retrieved the diary in her pocket and started to read again. Since lunch she, had been completely glued to the pages of the small black journal, absorbing Riddle's words, lost in his twisted thoughts. The more she read, the more she got engrossed in his stories. He had kept record of many things that had happened at Hogwarts so many years ago, and he recounted them with a sense of cold humor and cynicism that were completely uncharacteristic for such a young person. Liliana laughed loud when Riddle called Slughorn a "pretentious sack of wine." For once, she agreed with him. Raising her eyes to look at Ginny racing with Davis for the Snitch, she froze. And her heart froze as well, just before starting drumming madly.

Davis had passed very close to a man on a broom. She saw him for one moment before he disappeared, but she had already recognized him. Startled, she jumped to her feet, put the diary in her pocket, and reached for her wand. She thought his disillusionment charm had probably slipped off for a moment, but now Riddle could be anywhere…

"Don't bother," she heard a well-known voice behind her, and she whirled around to find Riddle looking at her in amusement.

He was wearing a dark blue suit and a black cloak. He pointed a wand at her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, trying to sound as brave as possible under the circumstances. Even in her darkest thoughts, she had not seen this coming so soon.

"Let's take a walk, shall we?" he said.

Liliana knew it was not an invitation but an order.

"No," she replied firmly. She was not ready to surrender quietly.

"Very well. Which one should it be then? Potter or Malfoy?" he pointed his wand at the players.

"You wouldn't…"

Riddle raised an eyebrow.

"You're the first one to give me such credit," he mocked.

Liliana realized how ridiculous she was. This was the killer of thousands of innocent people. A cold-blooded killer.

She nodded quietly, looking one more time over her shoulder to the students playing Quidditch, before departing towards the castle. She could hear Tom walking right behind her.

"Won't it be obvious that you are not a student here?" she asked, without turning around.

Tom muttered a spell while catching up with her.

Liliana threw him a look as he walked at her side. He had transformed his clothes, and he was wearing now a Slytherin house uniform that suited him perfectly. She noted how incredibility young he looked, as if he was a Hogwarts student. Annoyingly enough, he was also the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on.

As he was also staring at her, she quickly averted her eyes.

"Stop it!" she said tensely.

"Stop what?" he asked, an arrogant smile playing on his lips.

"It's called Legilimency."

"Oh, that. Actually, it helps me not waste my time my wondering what people think. Why should I stop?"

"It will not help you in my case," Liliana said.

"I tend to disagree with you. For instance, just now it was very interesting to read your thoughts."

Tom had the satisfaction of seeing her flush, but he did not press the matter, as the discovery was making him feel rather good.

"Should we find a quiet place?" he suggested, this time in a less threatening manner.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for the long, long wait! Many thanks to Lisa for betaing!


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 25**

**The Plan**

They walked in silence for a while, Liliana always one step in front of Tom, as if pretending he was not really there, Tom an arrogant smile on his handsome face.

"I don't know what kind of quiet place you want to find at Hogwarts. Students are all over the place. Room of requirement maybe?" she asked without turning around.

"I don't intend to go up so many flights of steps for a short conversation. I am looking for the kind of deserted corridor where you and Potter hide for your snogging sessions. Hufflepuff area on the ground floor could be a solution."

He heard Liliana snort.

"Come on, cousin," he laughed. "Embracing Potter in the forest, the night you escaped…I was impressed. I did not know you could get so affectionate… "

"So it was you all along playing with Potter's mind…" she said coldly, throwing him an unimpressed look over her shoulder.

"What can I say? He's so easy to manipulate, it's been fun…" he replied, genuinely amused.

"Just leave him alone."

"I'll deal with him when I will have a spare moment. At the time I am all too busy. Anyway I am amazed you chose Potter from all people."

Liliana ignored him and Tom pressed on "His days are numbered cousin, you should not waste time on him." She said nothing and he glared at her back. He had to admit that the possibility of Potter and Liliana together was somewhat annoying, but he did not really know why. The problem was that the motive was becoming more and more apparent and her silence was driving him mad.

They had reached the main entrance. To Liliana's surprise no one recognized Riddle or paid particular attention to them, except for some sixth year Ravenclaw girls who gave him appreciative looks. "I don't remember seeing this guy before," one of them whispered, as they passed by. "It's rather odd, he's the type you'd notice for sure."

Liliana chuckled despite herself. _Definitely_, she thought. _You_ s_hould have seen him a few days ago too. He looked even better._

"This seems OK," Riddle said and grabbed her arm, pulling her to a door on their left. They entered a quiet and deserted corridor, as he remembered. There were some windows on both sides, but it remained a cold, dark place.

Riddle let go of her arm and walked further on to the middle of the corridor. Liliana followed him. "So here we are," she said. "What do you want from me?"

Tom continued to pace for a while, as if trying to find his words.

"Have you given some thought to what has happened during the last few days?" he suddenly asked, his eyes fastening quickly on Liliana's.

"Not really," she lied effortlessly.

"So you have," he said contently. He looked so relieved, that she wondered what could bother him that much.

"I'm sure that the gratitude feeling towards me will disappear at some point. It's just a side effect." She said coolly. "So you will be able to hurt me again soon."

"I am taking care of that," he replied. In fact he had not done anything about it, being more preoccupied about the reasons why the potion had worked in the first place.

"Did you know about the effect?"

"Obviously, otherwise I wouldn't have taken the risk to make you stronger and be killed right after."

Tom stopped in front of her, looking her in the eye.

"The real question here is why it worked."

The question had also bothered her ever since, but she preferred not to dwell on it.

"Does it really matter?" she asked.

"Don't you want to know?"

She hesitated. He was standing far too close and leaning towards her.

"Maybe we should just leave this matter aside," she managed.

Tom looked disappointed.

"But why? Can't you see this is a piece of magic completely new, fascinating?"

Liliana took a step back and leaned against the wall. She took a calming breath.

"It is. But I follow my instinct. And it tells me that I should not investigate. I should kill you and go on with my life."

Tom snorted.

"First of all you can't kill me. Many have tried, none have succeeded. Secondly I think you are afraid."

"Excuse me?" she shouted.

"Come on cousin, I bet you felt it too, from the first moment we met. _There is, in fact, a strong connection between us_. It was there all along, even before our first encounter. That is why the potion worked."

"What are you talking about?"

Tom took another step, then another, blocking her way when she tried to move. His eyes were scorching even in the dark.

"Just admit it," he whispered.

She looked at him, dazed. He wasn't using legilimency on her, he was simply waiting for her answer. He lifted his right hand and placed it on the wall, near her head.

Liliana glared at him, almost convinced this just had to be a nightmare. She looked into his dark eyes, but she could not read his thoughts. His face held no expression either. She pushed him firmly in the chest to make him move, but then the door opened violently and someone stood in the doorframe, carrying a lit wand.

"Who goes there?" a well known voice asked. Liliana looked at Tom a little panicked. It was Snape and she knew Riddle wouldn't pass his chance to take him out.

However, Tom pulled the hood of his cloak over his head and leaned over Liliana, completely invading her personal space.

"Say something to him," he whispered in her ear, sending not so unpleasant shivers through her body. She closed her eyes for a moment, unfamiliar with the sensation.

"I am sorry, Professor," she said to Snape. "We'll be on our way in a second."

Snape snorted.

"I'll be back in a five minutes, Liliana. Better not find you here. Did you hear me Draco?"

He turned on his heel and left, closing the door after him.

By now Riddle was quivering with suppressed laughter.

"It seems you do have quite a reputation, cousin," he said, hiding his annoyance. "You are with Potter, but actually people also think that are also with young Malfoy! I must declare that I am impressed."

Liliana frowned.

"Keep your distance!" she warned him.

"If you will let me," he replied, and gestured towards her hand, still tangled in his shirt. Liliana blushed and tried to retry, but Tom had other thoughts.

"Actually we haven't really finished our previous conversation. If the professor is willing to give us five more minutes…"

Liliana stared at him, feeling trapped. She was not going to admit anything that would put her in a difficult situation later.

Tom leaned over her again, his fingers lightly touching her face.

"Stop this!" she urged him. Her pulse had accelerated instantly and she felt that magic around them was starting again to get out of control.

"Yes, this is what I am talking about," Tom muttered, his other hand on her waist now. He wasn't really sure why he was doing it, but it just felt right. It also felt incredible, their magic surrounding them, like a pleasant buzz, so comforting, making him feel so lightheaded all of a sudden. It was like for once he was in the right place, with the right person. She might have persisted in her lies, but he was persuaded she was feeling the same.

He could see it in her eyes, she was scared of this unknown sensation even more than he was. And that gave him the courage to decide he wanted to explore it further. But now it was not the time. Or the place.

He took a step back, putting distance between them.

"There is a connection cousin," he said victoriously. "Just as I thought."

He did not even see when she took out her wand…the silent spell hit him square in the chest, throwing him into the other wall. He was aching all over. She sure did not hesitate using the Cruciatus, Tom noted, trying to get up.

"You will learn to keep your distance from me, you filthy half-blood," he heard her say. Her voice was icy and Tom upon reading the implications of her words laughed cruelly in his turn.

"As if…" he said, his voice dropping with venom.

With that, he turned around furiously and left the corridor. But when he left Hogwarts on his broom he knew he would not let this matter drop. His cousin needed to be taught a lesson and he was just the miserable…how did she say? Ah, the filthy half-blood- to teach her.

* * *

That evening Draco and Harry arrived about the same time in Dumbledore's office. Snape was already there and he gave his favorite student a disapproving look. Draco did not quite get the meaning, but he assumed it had to do with the fact that he had destroyed Snape's class that morning, together with the moron at his side, who kept grinning like a fool. After the short match against Davids – Merlin, it had been ridiculously short, as they had thrashed Davids so easily-they had put in order Snape's class. The professor had no reason to be so upset, but who knew, Snape was not exactly the easy-going type of fellow.

"Stop laughing you idiot, don't get me into more trouble," he elbowed Potter.

"Where is Liliana?" Dumbledore asked, closing the door behind the two students.

"She will be here in a moment," Snape said. "I sent her a Patronus a few moments ago."

"Good," Dumbledore said, going to sit behind his desk. "Harry, Draco, a biscuit?"

Malfoy eyed him suspiciously, but Potter went to take one. He was in a particularly good mood after the match. It had been a day of fun. And he had to admit that Malfoy could be a good company at times.

Liliana walked in a few moments later.

"Ah, Miss Karkaroff. Good that you could join us. Please take some seats."

They sat on chairs before his desk. Dumbledore looked from one to another, as if to assess their mood.

"Well, as I said last night, I think that we should launch our campaign against Tom Riddle as soon as possible and work as a team. We will all gain if we work together. Do we all agree on the principle?"

Everyone nodded.

"We will need to weaken him first by finding and destroying the remaining Horcruxes. Then in a second phase we have to make sure that the right wizard or witch, with all precautions taken, challenges him and kills him. And for that we need a champion and a certain wand."

The three students looked at each other with pondering looks.

"I thought we were clear that I should be the challenger!" Liliana said.

"First we have to see who stays alive until the very end," Dumbledore said calmly. "We have to do the tasks first: destroy all Horcruxes and find the Deathly Hallows."

"Excuse me? The Deathly what?" Harry inquired.

Malfoy snorted.

"The Deathly Hallows Potter. Sometimes you are so thick. Really…"

"Shut up Malfoy!" Harry snapped, turning red.

"The Deathly Hallows, Mr Potter, is a well-known wizard fairy tale about three inestimable objects. Legendary objects. The Invisibility cloak, the Resurection Stone and the Elder Wand. Whoever possesses the Elder Wand can never be defeated by another wizard."

"I have grown past the age of fairytales Professor," Harry said. "What's the catch?"

"The catch is that these objects really exist, Harry." Dumbledore said with a smile. "And we need to find them before Riddle does."

"We don't know he is after these objects. We could be wasting our time. I can take him out as soon as the last horcrux is destroyed. I don't need the Elder Wand for that," Liliana said.

The looked at each other for a while in silence until Dumbledore said tensely: "You don't know how long the effects of the potion will last. Therefore we will need the Elder Wand."

Liliana turned her head to stare at Snape who nodded.

"Whatever," she said under her breath. "So who is going to do what? We can't waste anymore time. As you said last night, he is after me."

"Draco and yourself will search for the Deathly Hallows. Harry and myself will find the remaining Horcruxes. Severus will prepare all we need and keep an eye on Hogwarts while we are away."

He gave Liliana a piercing look, as if he was expecting her to comment again. She did not however, instead searching Draco's eyes. He nodded curtly to her.

"Then that's settled." Dumbledore said. "We will begin our search as soon as the holidays start. There will be fewer eyes on us."

"What will we do in the meantime?" Harry asked.

"Prepare. Go to class. Learn as much as you can. There isn't so much time left."

The students stood to leave, but Dumbledore stopped them.

"I also thought it is time to have some fun. Before the holidays we will organize a winter masked ball. I want to keep a light atmosphere in the school. Students have noticed things. I want to keep their minds busy with other things."

He noticed none of the three seemed enthusiastic about his idea.

"I think that we all need a short break," he pressed on.

When the three students left, Snape gave Dumbledore a questioning look.

"Trust me, Severus, I meant what I said before," the headmaster concluded.

* * *

**A/N Following messages that I have received recently from readers I just want to assure everyone that I have no intention to abandon the story! Next chapter will follow soon.**

**Reviews much appreciated!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 26**

**The Winter Masked Ball**

Dumbledore had had the idea of the year by the looks of it, Harry noted as he strode through the narrow streets of Hogsmeade, looking for some shop to buy the attire for the masked ball. He growled in frustration, noting that the shops were full of nervous students—most of them girls.

They seemed to walk in small packs again, the same way they had done when the Yule ball had been organised three years before. But this time, things were even worse for Harry because each and every one of them – news came through Hermione of course – were hoping that Harry would ask them to the ball. The major difference between this ball and the Yule ball was that Harry was in no mood to go this time. He had other things on his mind, and Dumbledore's idea had seemed odd to him from the very beginning, though he understood the reasons behind it. They had to keep up appearances.

But if he really had to go, then he'd better be well accompanied.

He threw Ron — who was walking at his side — a glance. The redhead, who usually jabbered a mile a minute, seemed as lost in thought as Harry was.

"You're quiet," Harry casually remarked.

Ron shrugged apathetically.

"What do you want me to say? Everything's such a mess right now."

Harry's brows furrowed. Had something happened that he'd missed?

"What's wrong?" he enquired gently.

Ron looked before him, his expression unchanged.

"Nothing. Lavender won't break up with me. I can't keep up this charade anymore. I'm getting tired."

Harry made an effort not to burst into laughter.

"Have you done everything possible to make her to break up with you?"

"Everything, mate. I even ruined her favourite blouse with pumpkin juice the other day. She won't do it."

"Tough luck," Harry replied, catching a familiar glimpse of pale blond hair at the end of the street. "The dance is approaching, and she needs a date now. She'll probably dump you afterwards. Just bear one more week, and you'll be safe."

"That's the whole point," Ron suddenly whined. "I don't want to take _her_ to the ball."

"Why?" Harry asked, not paying much attention, seeing that Malfoy had already disappeared inside a shop.

Ron gave him a weird look and chose not to answer. Harry pushed the door of the shop open and saw Malfoy chatting with an old lady who seemed to be the owner.

"It's ready, Mr. Malfoy. You can try it on now if you wish."

Malfoy gave a short nod and leaned casually against the counter while he waited for the old lady to return with his outfit.

"I'm out," Ron announced resentfully when he noticed Malfoy. The blond wizard glanced at Harry coolly. Harry took a few steps in Malfoy's direction. None of them spoke for a few moments. Harry looked around at the clothing displayed.

"You're doing it again, Potter," Malfoy finally commented, crossing his arms. "You're acting as if we're friends or something, and it's not the case. Why did you follow me in here?"

"I did _not_!" Harry replied indignantly. "I am looking for an outfit for the ball."

"Of course you are. Let me make things easy for you, then. This is not your kind of shop."

"And how would you know that?" Harry inquired.

"Simple. You and I do not have the same taste in clothes—in anything, for that matter."

"I can't argue with the clothing thing, but I can argue regarding other things."

Malfoy raised an eyebrow.

"And what other things are you talking about?"

"Well, you're probably taking the girl I want to invite to the ball."

"Come on, Potter. There must be girls out there that you could take other than Weaselette. Why would you want to ruin my evening? You never showed any interest in her."

Harry looked confused for a moment.

"I had no idea you were taking Ginny. I thought you would never take her out. Ron will throw a fit when he finds out."

"I don't care what that moron thinks. "

"Shut it, Malfoy. Ron's my friend."

"Well, I told you it was a bad choice from the very first year at Hogwarts."

"Says the guy who has a crush on the so-called moron's sister."

"Shut it, Potter. I do not have a crush on anyone. Better say why you followed me here, because apparently you were not planning to take Weaselette to the ball."

"That means that you are not taking Liliana."

Malfoy gave him a funny look.

"Potter, I hope you are not honestly thinking Karkaroff would go with you."

"And why not?" Harry asked, confused.

Malfoy sighed. He was in no move to give Potter a lecture about Purebloods thinking with regard to dating matters.

"I told you before, Karkaroff is not the open-minded type. And I don't think she's going," he added quickly.

Potter looked gloomy when he heard the news. Fortunately, he did not dwell on Malfoy's first words. A few moments passed in silence. Potter seemed to be thinking about something intently.

"She still hates me, doesn't she?"

Draco sighed again. Why, oh why, did he suddenly have to be Potter's confident?

"I wouldn't know, Potter. We don't spend our time talking about you. "

"I think she does."

"All I can say is that she has been quite distracted lately. She probably thinks she's not safe at Hogwarts anymore after Voldemort kidnapped her. I wouldn't want to be in her shoes either, given how much he hates her right now."

Right then the door of the shop opened, and a young, handsome man entered the shop. He was well groomed and wore extremely expensive clothing for his age. He did not bother to look at Harry for a moment, but he seemed to recognise Malfoy. However, all he did was to give the younger man a disdainful smile. Malfoy did not bother to greet or even give him one of his famous smirks. The shop owner returned with Draco's outfit and bowed slowly to the new arrival, who asked for something in a polite and subdued voice. The woman left and reappeared a few moments later with another outfit wrapped in a package. The young man took the box carefully and started toward the exit.

Draco's voice rang out in the room: "You're nothing more than a pet to him. Remember that, Parkinson."

"Don't worry, Malfoy, that stupid display in front of my master will cost you greatly," the young man sneered back at Draco. With that, he grabbed the door handle. But just then, a teenaged girl, her rebellious, dark hair cropped fairly short, decidedly pushed the door open and entered. Her eyes settled first on Draco and then on Ralph Parkinson. The latter wasted no time in leaving now, as he recognized Liliana Karkaroff, and there was no doubt that she had also recognised him as one of Voldemort's acolytes.

"What is his name?" she asked Draco as Parkinson merged into the crowd outside.

"That's Ralph Parkinson. He was a Seventh Year when I went to Hogwarts," Draco said, also shooting an annoyed look at Voldemort's follower. "I heard from my father that as soon as he finished studying he became a Death Eater. "

"Is he Pansy Parkinson's older brother?" Liliana asked, an unreadable expression on her face.

Draco nodded, and before he could add anything else, Liliana disappeared. She moved so quickly her figure seemed like a blur before completely disappearing in the crowd outside.

"What the hell?" Harry inquired. "How did she do that?"

Draco frowned.

"I'm not sure. She works on a lot of new spells, but she doesn't show them to me until she is sure they really work."

"You mean to tell me that Karkaroff actually _creates_ spells? New spells?"

Malfoy rolled his eyes as if Potter was the dumbest person on earth and grabbed his new set of clothing, disappearing behind a curtain. Annoyed, Harry walked outside.

* * *

Liliana walked steadily behind Ralph Parkinson, trying not to lose sight of him. He had glanced over his shoulder a few times, but he had not spotted her yet.

Reassured, he walked into the pub at the end of the street. A dark-haired girl sat at one of the tables with an untouched butterbeer in front of her. He leaned down and gave her a peck on the cheek and smiled.

"I thought you were not coming anymore. What kept you?" the girl asked.

"Complications, but nothing major. The Master wanted me to pick up a package for him."

"I see," Pansy said, though she did not look happy at all.

"So, how are you?" her elder brother asked, making a sign for the waitress to bring him a drink.

"Never better," Pansy replied. "I have failed to get into the _Apparition_ courses, and I don't feel like studying anymore though exams are approaching fast."

"Well, better be careful." Ralph scowled slightly. "School's essential for you at this stage."

"Well, we all know what happens to people when they get to other stages…too bad they studied so hard for nothing," his sister attacked.

But Ralph took her words lightly. He was used to her disapproving remarks.

"School's still the most important thing at your age."

"Perhaps…though even Dumbledore seems to think we need to have some fun from time to time. He's organising a winter masked ball."

Ralph gave her a smile and thanked the waitress who brought him the drink.

"So I heard," he said. "Everyone is out to buy clothes."

"Poor idiots," Pansy remarked bitterly.

"What's the matter? Don't tell me you're not going?"

Pansy did not answer outright. Ralph looked at her, trying to guess what was bothering her.

"Don't tell me no one's asked you!" he finally said.

Pansy opened her mouth to say something, but she suddenly stopped upon seeing someone standing behind Ralph.

"Sorry to interrupt this lovely reunion, but I would like to have a word with you," a sweet voice said.

Ralph turned around and to see Liliana Karkaroff staring at him. It was strange to see her standing there, after the recent incident at the Malfoy Manor when she had barely escaped with her life. He threw Pansy a warning glance and stood, walking a few steps away from the table, with Karkaroff close at his side.

"How may I help you?" he asked politely, a cold smile on his perfect lips.

"I don't have time to play games with you, Parkinson, so I'll get right to the point," Liliana replied, taking a step towards him to make sure they could not be heard. She lowered her voice to a mere whisper. "I know exactly who you are and whom you work for..."

Ralph's smile went wider: "And don't tell me, you are going to expose me for what I am. I don't care about that anymore, so don't waste my time."

"No, exposing you would not serve me in any way," she replied in the same low voice. "You will be much more useful to me at Voldemort's side."

"Nice try," he said, not sure where she was going.

"You have direct access to everything he's planning. You will keep me informed, Parkinson."

Ralph chuckled.

"You will keep me informed and meet me regularly, " she continued in the same low cold tone, "or your sister will suffer."

A shiver went down on Ralph spine when he heard those words. She wouldn't dare hurt his sister, would she?

Liliana smiled cruelly, as if hearing his thoughts loud and clear. She extracted a well-known wand from her pocket, playing with it. Ralph stared at the wand fearfully, knowing well how much damage it had done in a certain Dark Lord's hand. And still this girl had managed to escape from the Dark Lord and had taken his weapon away from him. He glanced quickly at Pansy who was drinking her butterbeer, unaware of the risk she was running.

"I would not play with her life if I were you," Liliana said. "I'll contact you soon."

With that, she pocketed her wand and suddenly leaned towards him, giving him a peck on the cheek, before departing. Ralph resisted the impulse to wipe it off; his skin seemed to burn with humiliation.

Liliana winked to a shocked Pansy as she walked by her table.

Ralph went to sit down, his face flushed, still burning with anger. Pansy took it for embarrassment, before exploding: "I had no idea...when did this...you know what, I don't even want to know. I hate that bitch. How can you do this to me?"

Liliana walked outside, feeling very pleased with herself. She would now get all the information she needed right from Voldemort's inner circle. They needed this desperately now that Snape's cover was blown. She had even enjoyed humiliating the Parkinsons a bit, and she was sure that she would enjoy her private meetings with Ralph Parkinson even more. Damn, he smelled nice! She wondered idly how far he would go to protect his sister.

* * *

The guards watched the big, white wolf move stealthly through the forest until he reached the main entrance of the large castle. They all knew who was really hiding in that animal form and did not try to stop him. It was useless, and they knew it.

That was because Jurgen was the strongest of them all, their ultimate warrior, the only one who had never lost a fight. He was their saviour and curse at the same time. He was their protector from the outer world, their champion against their sworn ennemies, but his arrogance made him extremly unpopular with the other vampires.

The wolf stopped briefly in the entrance hall, throwing a look to the closed doors of a room where he knew an important meeting was taking place. He listened carefully. The Council was not discussing his future, as he had expected. Encouraged by this discovery, he took the main flight of stairs to his own room where he changed into his normal, almost human form. He stopped briefly in front of the old, sculpted wardrobe to get some clothes, and then he moved into the bathroom.

For what seemed like ages he simply stood in the shower and let the cold water wash over him; it was pleasant after a long run through the woods. This time his muscles were strained and aching, though most of the times he could barely feel anything at all. It was disturbing, even after two centuries of being a vampire, not to feel anything. It gave him a feeling of insecurity. He still remembered the time when he was human—a wizard for that matter—before turning under the bite of a vampire whom he had later slayed into this cursed being he hated so much.

He stood in front of the bathroom mirror for a while studing his own tired eyes. He wanted to get away from all this, but they wouldn't let him. They needed his strengh and skills too much. He got dressed and walked slowly to the Council room door. For a second he remained in front of the door, listening, before a well-known voice was heard.

"Come in, Jurgen," Alessandro said.

He walked in and everyone seemed to stare oddly at him, or maybe he was imagining things.

A couple of vampires whispered something between themselves. He was definatelly not imagining things.

"Glad you could join us, Jurgen," Alessandro said, giving him a piercing glance, before gesturing to a place next to him. "We were starting to worry about you. I haven't heard from you in days."

Jurgen did not answer outright. He stared again at the people surrounding them. They all seem to hang on whatever he had to say.

"I had to get some things sorted out," he explained. "I did not mean to worry you."

"I trust these things have nothing to do with your personal feud against Lord Voldermort. "

He resisted the urge to say something he would regret later.

"No, Sir," he answered evenly. "I did not come close to Voldemort, as you ordered."

Alessandro gave him a scrutinizing look, then he seemed to drop the matter.

"What is the purpose of the council?" Jurgen asked, trying to divert attention from himself.

"We are here to make what is probably the most important decision that has been made for our kind in the last 50 years. We are considering entering a war that is not ours."

Jurgen gave Alessandro a quizical look.

"What do you mean?"

"This council is deciding whether to declare war on the wizards," a vampire at the other end of the table said.

"I thought you were opposing war, Vladimir. You always have!"

"I've always believed wizards had the situation under control, but after what Alessandro recounted tonight from your last encounter with Lord Voldemort, we cannot trust them anymore," Vladimir responded, looking at Alessandro.

The latter seemed satisfied.

"Who's in favor?" he asked simply.

All hands raised. Jurgen looked around a bit surprised, then his own hand lifted out slowly, while he tried to hide his smile. This was just too good. He was finally going to have his long-dreamed-of revenge.

* * *

Ralph carefully knocked on the door of Lord Voldemort's room, almost holding his breath, in fear he would disturb him. No answer came, and he lingered in front of the door, the package from the store in his hands. He had no idea what to do. Finally some movement was heard inside the room, and a moment later the Dark Lord opened the door. He looked sleepy. His dark eyes rested on Ralph, and then he frowned slowly.

"Yes, young Parkinson?"

Ralph swallowed. He still hadn't gotten accostomed to the Dark Lord looking more or less his own age.

"I have the attire you sent me for, milord. Please forgive me. I was not aware you were asleep."

Tom grunted and moved away from the door, motioning to Ralph to follow.

"What's the atmosphere in the village?" he asked.

"Everyone is preparing for a winter masked ball at Hogwarts."

"Is that so?" Tom enquired, a smile on his face as if was enjoying a private joke.

"Yes, milord."

"Did you..."Tom hesitated. "Did you see my cousin there?"

It took all of Ralph's training and strengh to respond calmly. Liliana's words were still fresh in his mind, as well as the feel of her humiliating lips touching him.

"No, milord, I did not."

Voldermort did not seem to sense he was lying.

"All right. You may go now."

Ralph repressed a sigh of relief and exited, counting to 10 in his head to calm down.

In his room, Tom carefully unpacked a knight's attire and a black mask. His cousin was in for a big surprise, just as he had planned.

* * *

"Tell me sincerely, Karkaroff, am I not the most gorgeous man you have laid eyes upon in your entire existence?" Malfoy asked.

Liliana was sitting on Draco's bed, watching him styling his hair for the party. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

He looked stunning in his blue, fancy costume.

"Weaselette will surely drool on you, if this is what you want," she shot back.

"Hopelly not," he said taking her words literally and smirking. "I don't want her to ruin my clothes, but yeah, that's the general idea."

Liliana smirked in turn.

"So you're still not going," he said.

"No," she replied simply enough.

"Is this about not doing what Dumbledore wants?" he asked.

"You know me well. Mainly yes. Plus, no one asked me."

Draco remembered the discussion with Potter, but he did not raise the matter. It was too late anyway. Potter had asked Romilda Vane; everyone knew it and had commented on the matter.

"What a big surprise," he said instead. "But since when does Liliana Karkaroff need a partner to go to a dance? I thought you were past these girly whims."

Karkaroff did not answer at first, as if looking for a definite answer to be left alone.

Finally she said: "I don't see the point, really, Draco."

He sighed.

"Fine, if you change your mind, you know where to find me."

With that, he exited and went down to the common room to find the other fellow Slytherins. Draco met his date at the base of the stairs leading to the Gryffindor tower. She was wearing a sheer pink dress that went well with her hair. She blushed deeply when she saw him approach, and she gave Ron a warning look. Ron was accompanying Lavander Brown, and Romilda Vane was shimmering with pride at Harry's arm. As for Hermione, she looked absolutely miserable in a velvet green dress trying to get her hand out of Corman McLaggen's.

Potter looked at Draco as if searching for answer, but the other boy prefered to ignore the unasked question. He extended his arm to Ginny, and they proceded to the Great Hall, where Dumbledore was already saying a few opening words before leaving the dancing to the students.

Back in Slytherin House Liliana waited for all the students to leave. At last she would be able to practice the new and most powerful spell she had been working on for the last three months. If her risky experiment worked, then there was little she would need to worry about in the future. Putting her black long cloak around her, she exited the dormitory and walked in the shadows towards the depths of the castle, where the Chamber of Secrets awaited to see new and unreveiled types of magic.

* * *

**A/N. I know it's been a while but I haven't abandoned the story. We're approaching the most captivating part. Many thanks to Lisa for betaing and to your for reading. Cheers!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 27**

**Hold me, kiss me**

Liliana walked towards Salazar's larger than life statue at the back of the Chamber of Secrets, her eyes intently fixed on his face. Salazar's sneer did not seem to intimidate her, even though she was doing a task she thought she would not be able to perform. Not tonight, not ever.

Stopping at the statue's feet, she looked around uncertainly. She had tried the spell before and it never seemed to work properly. It had been frustrating beyond anything she had imagined when the idea had for the first time had sparked in her mind.

She desperately needed this spell to work. Without the possibility to disapparate, how could she ever stand a chance against Voldemort in battle? There was a long time until she turned seventeen, and surely long before that time they would have to settle scores once and for all.

Her eyes settled on a piece of stone that could serve the purpose. She transfigured it into a large mirror, which she levitated to rest against one of Salazar's large feet. She studied herself in the mirror for a few seconds, before pointing her wand at the mirror and throwing out a jinx which hit the mirror and back at Liliana, who muttered a quick spell. But nothing happened to prevent the apparition of countless bruises all over her arms. She winced and healed them one at the time, a deep frown between her brows.

Half an hour passed while she tried various curses, each time muttering the same spell that did not have any known counter effect. Finally, she sat down defeated, tired, and let her head rest against her knees. After a few minutes she stood, turning around to look again at Salazar's sneering face.

"Your sneer would disappear if you knew the spell I am testing now. This is beyond everything even you have ever imagined."

But Salazar's expression predictably enough did not change. Liliana sighed again and looked at the mirror, her expression hardening.

"To hell with this, I'm just going to do it!" she decided, raising her wand again. Her hand was slightly trembling, but she did not back away from her decision. "Avada Kedavra!" she yelled. As the killing curse hit the mirror, Liliana froze, her eyes widening. It was now or never, just a split second separated her from death. The words left her mouth with the force of the concentration. The curse hit the air where she previously stood. And yet one split second later Liliana stood in the same place as if nothing had happened.

Her face reflected the state of utter stupor and relief she was experiencing. These feelings were quickly replaced by unaltered happiness.

"I knew it, I knew it, I just had to be brave enough…" she muttered, repeating the exercise several times before putting the wand away. Checking her watch, she decided she had had enough for one evening and headed for the exit, still trembling a little, but her heart filled with joy.

* * *

Tom stopped briefly in front of the old castle, contemplating the image before him. Even in the dark, Hogwarts castle looked solemn enough to make his best memories of his school days resurface. Tom cracked a smile against his better will and landed softly on the ground, not far from the entrance to the castle. He paused for a second before entering the large hall, which was lit up for the festivities. Many young couples were walking around hand in hand, some girls giggling nervously, some guys speaking loudly; all in all the teenage ball seemed a success: no one would think that a war was preparing outside this place. Tom readjusted his mask, out of precaution more than anything else; he was not here to ruin the party... in fact, he was looking forward to having some fun.

However, as he walked around the great hall, staring insistently at all the girls around him, looking for a certain one, disappointment started to build up inside him. His cousin was not there. He saw young Malfoy with a ginger-haired girl. Once again it seemed that Snape was wrong in his assumptions. Then he noticed that Potter was there too, also with a girl who was not Liliana. They were dancing pretty close to each other. This somehow improved his mood and he decided to hang around to see if his cousin would eventually show up. It proved to be a good decision.

* * *

Liliana returned in a semi-euphoric state from the Chamber of Secrets. She'd done it: she wasn't even sure if this would work again, but she'd done it and it was all that mattered for the moment. This spell was the result of so much work and so many sleepless nights that it made her feel like she had gained a great victory. It also ensured that if in a battle someone sent a killing curse at her – or any other curse, for that matter – she would be able to disintegrate for a few seconds and avoid the spell or the curse. It also worked everywhere, including places where disapparition was not possible. This spell was something that would revolutionize the book of spells, if only she'd share it... but Liliana had no intention of sharing it: her life depended on these abilities she had developed and on the new spells she could come up with.

She paused briefly before entering the Slytherin chambers, listening to the music and the noise her colleagues were making upstairs. Even in the Dungeons it would be hard to get some proper sleep. It was still early, so with much hesitation she decided that she'd hang around the Great Hall for a while, at least until they lowered the sound of the music.

As she entered the Great Hall she noticed how many people seemed slightly dizzy, and reckoned that someone had been messing with the drinks again. By Theodore's and Goyle's dorky smiles, as they stood away from the show and watched the others, she could bet they were responsible for the mess. The worst was that some of the teachers also seemed fairly drunk.

Looking around, she felt she was a little out of place, dressed in school uniform when everyone else was wearing dressrobes, but did not dwell on that and moved towards the center of the room to pour herself a drink. It was then that she noticed Harry, dancing in a close embrace with Romilda Vane. She frowned slightly, feeling a tingle of something she could not determine at first. Though she knew she might find them together, it still bothered her. Somewhat relieved that Harry was too busy to notice her, she made her way to the other end of the room, where Hermione Granger stood by herself, a murderous look on her face. Her expression hardened when she saw Liliana approaching, but she did not say anything. Following the other girl's gaze, she saw Ron Weasley with Lavender Brown, also dancing. She shook her head and prepared to advance further as Hermione did not seem like she wanted to talk at all, when her eyes fell on a person who was staring blatantly at her from across the room. Liliana froze, suddenly out of breath. The young man was tall, dressed in dark dressrobes which suited him perfectly and a velvet mask was covering most of his face. She could not say who he was, although there was something familiar about him, like a fascinating aura which made her also stare back unabashedly. Liliana could swear that her pulse had rushed suddenly and was resounding in her ears…or was it the rhythm of her heartbeat that had changed? A few seconds later, she felt herself blushing and turned towards the drinks table once again, trying to hide her embarrassment.

She poured herself a glass of seemingly pumpkin juice, but as she tasted it she became nevertheless quickly convinced that what she was drinking was not _just_ juice. Sighing, she finished the glass and put it down. Whatever they'd have put in it was not going to kill her.

Smiling to herself, she was preparing to search for some food as well when she bumped into the man she had previously seen across the room.

"Ah, sorry," she said, trying to avoid spilling her glass.

The young man reached out his hand to stabilize her, but did not say anything. He simply stared at her for a few moments without letting go of her arm.

"I'm good now," the girl said, confused.

Tom smiled and said, his voice low, trying to make sure she would not recognize him:

"Are you sure?"

"Do I know you?" she asked. Somehow he was making her nervous; he seemed oddly familiar, although she was not sure to which House he belonged to.

"You ought to," he whispered, taking her glass and setting it on the table. "We're colleagues after all. Care for a dance?"

Before Liliana could reply, Tom guided her gently towards the other dancers and pulled her into his arms as soon as a new song started. This felt really strange for him after so many years, although he had been decent with dancing in his youth. He had been a very popular student in his time, and although he had much more interest in raising the numbers of his gang of followers than in girls, he had made some effort to remain popular with his female colleagues. Fortunately, thanks to his great looks and all his other qualities, he had never needed to put too much effort into it.

"I'm not into dancing," his cousin said in a rather cold tone, stiffening in his arms as soon as he tried to pull her closer.

Tom smiled inwardly. _So that's her…ice queen. I guess she's not like that just with me. Let's see if I can get her to melt._ He did not reply to her comment, and instead he rested his palm on the small of her back, giving her another serene smile.

Liliana calmed a little. She was surprised by his boldness. Even at Hogwarts her male colleagues kept their distance after all that had happened since she arrived at their school. She felt rather curious about this young man. She tentatively put her arms around his broad shoulders as they joined the other dancers. Unlike others of his age, he seemed very much at ease in the way he was guiding her to the music.

"I am not familiar with everyone here at Hogwarts, since I am a transfer student," she said a bit apologetically. "Are you a Ravenclaw? I would recognize you if you were from my own House."

Tom smiled once again and bowed to her ear.

"It's a masked ball," he whispered. "The purpose would be ruined if we knew each other's identity, wouldn't it?"

Liliana felt herself blushing.

"But you know my identity," she protested.

"And whose fault is that?" Tom replied in the same manner, his breath tickling the girl's ear.

"I was not initially planning to come here tonight…" Liliana said, her blush deepening.

"I guess not," Tom said, and emphasized his words when he felt the material of Liliana's school shirt with his hand. The caress was short and very light, but it made the girl stop mid-dance to stare him in the face.

"Who are you?" she asked directly.

Tom guided her again to the music and she followed reluctantly, waiting for his answer.

"If I tell you I'm just someone who is very attracted to you, would that suffice for tonight?" he asked, staring back into her eyes.

Liliana's heart skipped a beat. He sure was direct. Also, he seemed so familiar, and being is his arms made her feel so good, so safe…she remembered feeling so safe just once, and that thought made her shiver.

"What is the matter?" Tom inquired, bringing his hand up to tug a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I think I need another drink," she said, and tried to leave. Tom let go of her waist, but took her hand before she could too far.

"Let me get that for you," he said, and he paved his way through the crowd in the direction of the tables.

He poured a glass for her and watched as she drank it all, looking a bit flushed and unsteady. His strategy seemed to be working and he had to admit that he was rather enjoying his time with Liliana. He had planned to humiliate her tonight, and prove his point, but now he was tempted to take his time before revealing his identity.

He took a sip from his own drink and then extended his hand again to her.

"Dance some more?" he invited in his most seductive tone.

Liliana frowned and set down her glass. "I think I will go now."

Tom felt she was wavering, and he did not want to abandon the fight just yet. He had come to Hogwarts with a purpose.

"What troubles you? I hope it's not me." He said.

"Dancing with men I don't know is not my thing. I'd rather call it a day," she replied in a superior tone, and turned to leave.

_Not so fast cousin_, Tom thought and threw his last card.

"Are you that afraid of the unknown?" he challenged, knowing his cousin would fall right into the trap. She'd done it before, after all, and did not seem to learn from her mistakes when her pride was at stake.

Liliana turned slowly on her heels.

"Why should I be?"

Tom sighed and seemed to concede. "Fine, I'll show you my identity, but not here. Come with me. Then can we dance some more?"

Liliana studied him for a moment, before accepting his extended hand and following him out of the ball room, through the Entrance hall and into the hidden corridor she had previously followed Tom to just a few days back.

* * *

Harry had tried to blame Romilda Vane for the headache that had been torturing him the entire evening, but in fact she was not as awful as he had predicted in the beginning. Apart from the fact that she was indeed extremely proud to be his date and did nothing but show him off like a sort of a trophy in front of the other female students, there was really nothing wrong with her. She was in fact much easier to cope with than Lavender Brown, Ron's date. His friend was really pitiful, Harry thought, watching Ron going from one dance to another under Hermione's vengeful eye.

Ron's mood was also dreadful, seeing his sister spending most of her time in Malfoy's company. It was true that lately Harry had become a lot friendlier towards the blond Slytherin and this pair did not bother him that much. He had suspected something going on between Draco and Ginny for a while, but Draco's decision to take her to the Winter Masked Ball had surprised even Harry. In any case, Ginny's happy mood was intoxicating. Even Malfoy had left his sarcastic remarks and cynical smile aside and danced with her all night.

At some point while Harry was dancing with his date, he suddenly felt Malfoy tapping him on the back.

"She's here," he said to Harry quietly. Looking over Romilda's shoulder Harry saw Liliana by the tables, getting something to drink. She looked a little tired. A tall guy approached her out of nowhere and took her for a dance. His entire behavior seemed quite odd to Harry. He was acting in a rather bold manner towards Liliana, by the way he was whispering in her ear and the way he was touching her. His behavior started to annoy Harry after a few minutes. He wondered how he could interrupt them, when Liliana and her partner left the ballroom together.

Harry impatiently waited for the song to finish so he could escape from Romilda Vane's tight embrace and leave. As he stepped into the Entrance Hall, he noticed Draco and Ginny were there, talking quietly in a corner. He dropped by to ask Draco if he had seen Liliana and Draco pointed towards a door almost hidden by two armors.

"It's probably a bad idea to go there though," the Slytherin said to Ginny as Potter hurried towards the door. "I think she wanted some privacy with that guy. Girls really are unpredictable…" He barely managed to finish his sentence, when a completely unpredictable Ginny suddenly hugged him. Draco smiled and thought it was the perfect moment he had been expecting the whole evening, when the noise of an explosion coming from the hidden corridor violently interrupted his thoughts.

* * *

"This is fine," Liliana said when the lights of the Entrance Hall subsided behind them. The corridor was very dim, not to mention cold.

"_Lumos_," Tom whispered and put his arm around Liliana's waist once more, guiding her a little further.

"I think I've been here before," the girl said uncertainly when Tom stopped to look at her, lowering his wand hand.

"Yes, you have," he replied.

Liliana felt the alcohol was making her thoughts unclear. The young man in front of her closed the distance between them, until their faces were merely centimeters apart.

"So?" she asked, expecting him to lift his velvet mask.

Tom smirked lightly, continuing to stare at her face with a certain amount of fascination.

"As I said before, there's a strong connection between us. I want to check that connection," he replied and suddenly pressed his lips to Liliana's before she could react.

He felt her hands pushing against his chest, but instead of backing off, he deepened the kiss, releasing the flow of magic which he had striven to keep under control until then, as he did not want his cousin to recognize him. He knew Liliana could not resist it either…and he was right. He felt her arms pulling him closer desperately, her hands tangling in his wavy locks, their lips melding together. He felt her capitulating, her own magic burning between them. They kissed passionately for a few moments, until Liliana pulled away out of breath, her eyes unfocused and suddenly fearful.

Tom's mask had half-fallen free in the process. Liliana raised her hand and pushed it away almost unwillingly. Tom did not protest, keeping his hold on her. An expression of horror gradually crept up Liliana's features.

"I told you I would prove to you that there is a strong connection between us, and that you also feel it, cousin," Tom said, a certain satisfaction in his voice. "You lied to me and you lied to yourself as well. But do you really think that your unwillingness to acknowledge this will save you from what you feel for me?"

Liliana stared back at him, still horror struck. She shook her head frantically.

"I just proved my point. Say you did not want to kiss me, say that you don't long for me."

Liliana managed to find her voice.

"I did not know it was you. I would have never let you kiss me."

Tom laughed wholeheartedly to her desperation and let go of her.

"As you wish, cousin. Subconsciously you have longed for me, just as I long for you. You knew deep inside, since the moment you looked at me from the other side of the room, that it was me. You knew it all along."

"You're mad," Liliana said raising her voice and pulling out his former wand, pointing it as his chest. "You're mad if you think I have any feeling but hatred for you. I was attracted to you tonight, but not for a moment had I thought that it could be you. The effects of that potion seem to be very strong if you long for me so much that you'd come here tonight to find me. You're so pathetic, Riddle!"

Tom smirked.

"It's not the potion, cousin. Keep fooling yourself. You hope the effect of the potion will run out, but in fact the connection had been there before. From the first moment we met."

"Shut up!" Liliana yelled, prepared to curse him.

Tom took a step towards her, until the tip of the wand was almost painfully touching his chest.

"This wand has willingly chosen me a long time ago, Liliana," he whispered to her, "just as you will choose me soon. You know I am the only one who can protect you. Stop this foolishness and come to my side."

Liliana did not manage to respond, because she heard Harry calling her name and hurried footsteps approaching through the corridor.

"Time to go," he whispered. "Think about what I said."

Liliana watched him, frozen, as he sent a silent spell to one of the windows making it shatter. He muttered another spell and a moment later he was in the air, looking down at Harry and Liliana. She managed to send a killing curse at him at the last moment, but he avoided it, and pulling his hood to protect him, he flew through the cold December wind and out of Hogwarts.

Harry looked at Liliana, who had succumbed near the wall in a state of shock. She seemed to be trembling slightly, staring at the ground, her eyes unfocused.

"Karkaroff," Harry said quietly. "What happened here? Was that Voldemort? Are you OK?" He bent down to look at her. He tentatively caressed her hair, pulling some strands away from her face. He had never seen Liliana in such a state, despite all the things she had gone through before.

He heard footsteps and then Draco was there, together with Ginny. He pulled Harry away from Liliana, and hugged her closely.

"Shh, what happened to you?"

"Let's get out of here, Draco, please," she pleaded quietly.

Draco turned to Harry.

"What did you do to her Potter?" he asked menacingly, taking a step towards Harry.

"Draco please, I want to go back to Slytherin room now, let's go." She threw another look over her shoulder where Voldemort had disappeared, then she turned to Harry, her eyes begging him not to tell anything to Draco. Harry nodded and watched the two of them making their way out of the corridor. He did not notice that Ginny had disappeared from the scene during this exchange.

* * *

**Many thanks to BlackRoseRaven for betaing this story. Thank you for your patience.**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 28  
**

**The Resurrection Stone**

"Are you sure?" Draco asked Liliana for the tenth time, as they entered the Slytherin common room. "You don't look well to me."

"I just need a little bit of rest. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow morning, OK?" Draco reluctantly accepted her explanation as he watched Liliana close the door of her room behind her.

He couldn't imagine what had possibly happened between her and Potter. He remembered the other guy, Liliana's dance partner for the evening, and vaguely wondered at which point he had disappeared from the picture...Nothing really made sense, but he preferred to let the matter drop at least until the following morning, as he was far too tired to dwell on the issue.

As soon as the door closed behind her, Liliana hurried to her closet and grabbed a bag. She started squeezing her few belongings into it. She was convinced that she had to get out of Hogwarts as soon as possible. There was no way she could stay here when Voldemort could wander in and out of the school as he pleased. Nobody had been aware of his presence on the grounds, neither a few days back nor today. And what was all this nonsense about joining him? Had he lost it completely? Had he forgotten who he was speaking to? This made absolutely no sense. While she was pleased that he could not harm her, it was just a matter of time until the effects of the potion would wear off. And what then?

It was not enough she had to put up with Dumbledore's mistrust, Snape's endless tasks and Potter's anger, now Voldemort could just come to Hogwarts and act in a completely irrational way towards her. Liliana still had difficulties accepting what had just happened between them. Kissing? What was that for, proving his point because she had called him an unworthy half-blood? Disgusted, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before returning to her luggage. She had to leave before any of this madness could occur again. She had to find a way to kill him as soon as possible. Her life could not continue like this, depending on some demented, hungry for power dark wizard, when she had so much more to show to the wizarding world. It was enough that he had stolen her childhood; he would not ruin her life completely. He had to die, and quickly.

Suddenly, she stopped packing and kicked the bag violently. She could not leave just yet. She had no money and no place to go. Dumbledore was still her appointed tutor and was managing her accounts until she became of age. She had no safehouse to go to either.

She would have also hated to leave Draco behind. He had been making so much progress with his training lately that it would have been a real pity.

She sat on the bed, trying to think of a solution. If she stayed at Hogwarts, she needed to make peace with Potter first. Since he had found about her restoring Voldemort's body and her true identity, it had proved impossible to have any conversation with him. Potter was so self-righteous and thought so highly of himself that he probably considered her a coward, without really taking the time to see the bigger picture or put himself in someone else's shoes. After all, she had treated Potter the same way when she had first arrived at Hogwarts.

Moreover, Liliana knew that Harry had seen Voldemort leaving the castle that evening, and was probably imagining his own version of the facts. The last thing Liliana wanted was to see Potter going to Dumbledore and informing him about her plotting whatever with Voldemort under their own noses, because after all, she was Voldemort's distant cousin and she had already made him stronger...

So, if she decided to stay, she had to make sure Potter would not continue to suspect her of the worst conspiracies...they needed to have a talk, and as soon as possible, even if she had to bring Potter out of his House by force. However, first she would have to tend of Potter's pride and she knew just the way how. Quietly, she exited the common room and went to the Library.

* * *

Harry was woken up by the light of the Patronus, and he blinked a few times before he noticed the dragon. His mouth almost fell open. Karkaroff was actually asking him to come and see her? Muttering under his breath, Harry looked at his watch and got out of the bed. It was four in the morning. He quickly got dressed and after grabbing his wand, he quietly followed the dragon of light.

The Patronus took him to the last place he had been expecting. As he recognised the old girls' toilet where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets was located, Harry couldn't help a shiver. He tightened the grip on his wand as he whispered in Parseltongue to the snake guarding the entrance. A few seconds later he made his way into the massive room and almost did not recognise the old, filthy, disgusting place he remembered since his second year.

The chamber was no longer dim with an array of candles floating near the ceiling. It was extremely clean, and Salazar's statue had lost its greyish colour; it looked like white marble now, emerald eyes more threatening than ever.

The water had been channelled into one stream circling the room and it was now so clean, that it looked safe enough to drink from it. The walls were now white stone, various maps and drawings hanging from them. He noticed some old shelves full of books, near Salazar's statue. Some dummies probably used for practice and a huge mirror also caught his attention before he heard Liliana's voice.

"Hi. Thanks for coming."

She was sitting at a small desk to Salazar's right, and got up when she saw Harry approaching.

"This better be good, Karkaroff."

Harry eyed the sword on the desk and remembered Draco throwing it to Liliana during the battle against Voldemort back at Malfoy Manor.

Liliana followed his stare and smiled feebly. "It saved me a few times."

"It's not Salazar's most powerful object though," Harry said. "That locket is much more powerful, I guess."

"You're probably right. However, because of Tom's lack of genuine interest in these objects, which he transformed into Horcruxes for his own good, we will never know their true powers. I guess he could not get his hands on the sword of Gryffindor, so that evening he came to Hogwarts to find this one. I should not have used the sword against Nagini when I first arrived. It gave me away."

She pulled open a drawer and showed Harry Salazar's locket.

"Its powers were gone when we destroyed the Horcrux."

Harry sighed and sat on the corner of the desk.

"So in your view, that night he came to Hogwarts, he was looking for this?" he asked, pointing to the sword.

"Yes, he intended to kill me and use the sword to make another Horcrux."

"If he continues making Horcruxes and splitting his soul like this maybe he'll be the one who destroys himself first, before we actually manage to do something."

Liliana smiled against her will, and reached over the desk, taking Harry's right hand. She took her wand out of her pocket.

"What are you doing?" he asked, alarmed.

"Relax," she said, looking at the red traces marring the skin of Harry's hand, result of the dark curse Dolores Umbridge had inflicted on him during detention. "I said I would find a cure for this, didn't I? I think I found it."

She muttered a spell, pointing his wand at his hand. For a few moments nothing happened, then gradually, the red traces disappeared one by one under Harry's amazed gaze. Liliana smiled, content with herself, and let go of his hand.

"Thanks," Harry said, meeting her eyes. "I've been trying to get rid of these scars for a while, but was unable to."

"It's my speciality," she said lightly. "Playing with dark spells for a good purpose."

"I guess you did not ask me to come here in the middle of the night just to take care of these scars," he said. "Nor to show me how you decorated the place. I guess this your and Draco's playroom? I was wondering where you guys had been hiding for a while now. My guess was Room of Requirement, but it seems I was wrong. I should have known you would find this chamber sooner or later."

"It was easier for me than for you and Riddle I guess, since the entrance was hidden in a girls' bathroom. I made the Chamber look like it did in Salazar's time. The plans of the room were hidden here. And yes, we started practicing in here. We've been working hard, at least until Riddle came to Hogwarts that evening."

"Anyway," she continued, "I had something to talk to you about."

Harry eyed her expectantly. Liliana went directly to the heart of the matter:

"Draco must not find out that Riddle was here tonight. Nobody must know, including Dumbledore and Snape."

_Predictable_, Harry thought.

"I understand that you want to hide this from Snape and Dumbledore, but why from Malfoy? He's the only person you seem to trust, after all."

From Harry's answer, Liliana could guess that Harry had only seen Voldermort departing, and had no idea about what had really happened that evening. She hesitated with her answer. Tom's behaviour that evening had been so surrealistic, that even Liliana had difficulties believing what he had done. Nobody could know about it.

"Why was he at the ball anyway?" Harry continued.

"He came to find me," Liliana said. "Since the evening when he got his body back his attitude towards me has changed. The potion we have used had certain effects on Riddle. He cannot hurt me and it must be extremely frustrating for him. He has come here twice already trying to see if I knew of any remedy. Due to the potion, he also feels grateful towards me. That is why he saved my life when I was attacked by a vampire back at the Manor. The effects are temporary of course, but he's growing impatient."

"Riddle was here twice and I did not feel his presence? Usually my scar hurts when he's around."

"Maybe you were too busy playing Quidditch that afternoon, or dancing with your date tonight," she said scathingly.

"Maybe..." Harry acquiesced. He smiled inwardly. Could it be that Liliana was a little jealous?

"The second reason why he came here is because he has asked me to join his followers."

Harry almost fell off the desk.

"What? How could you possibly join him after he killed your family and destroyed your life?"

"I think he has an inability to grasp the concept. It seems that I have not yet given him enough proof of how much I despise and hate him. "

"Well, by the way you two were dancing tonight I wouldn't have said you hated him," Harry remarked in a cynical tone.

Liliana groaned exasperated: "I had no idea it was him."

"So you just went along with some stranger?"

"We are all human, Potter," she said looking at him through narrowed eyes. "He's attractive and I was a bit dizzy from drinking that stuff which was supposed to be Pumpkin juice."

"Ah, really? I forgot that Liliana Karkaroff is doing what she pleases, whenever she feels like it. What is next?" Harry questioned angrily.

"Like I said before, Potter. What I do is none of your business."

"That's where you're wrong, Karkaroff. It does concern me, when it comes to Voldemort," Harry snapped, eyes scorching with anger.

Liliana had expected his reaction, and did not press on.

"I am not planning to repeat what happened tonight." She blushed slightly remembering Riddle's lips pressed against her own. "It was a big mistake."

Harry took a calming breath. She seemed sincere.

"So why do you want to hide this from Malfoy then?"

Liliana sighed, looking at her hands.

"If he finds out Riddle came here, he will insist on leaving Hogwarts. He will know I am no longer safe here. Deep inside he always thought Dumbledore could protect us. But if he finds out that Riddle was here twice and Dumbledore didn't even know, then he will want to leave. To be honest, we have no place to go and we need to stay here and continue to learn a number of things before we are ready to do battle with Riddle."

Harry studied her intently.

"Draco really does care for you, Liliana," he acknowledged. "He also trusts you blindly. The night he found out that Riddle had gotten his body back thanks to you, did he not question your actions at all?"

"Do you really want to go there, Potter?" she asked.

"Yes, actually I do. I can't believe what you did, Karkaroff. Why you did it is still beyond me. How can I trust you when you restored Voldemort's power?"

Liliana sat back in her chair. It seemed that there was no other way than to be open with Potter.

"I did not really have a choice," she admitted.

"That's exactly the kind of answer I cannot accept," Harry snapped accusingly. "It's not like he took your blood forcefully. You willingly helped him. That's how that potion worked."

Liliana was not taken by surprised by Harry's words. They were just a repetition of what he had said when he had saved her and they kept haunting her since that night Harry.

She carefully weighed her answer:

"Harry, you need to see this in the wider context," she said patiently. "I know for you things are just black or white, at least everything that concerns Riddle, but that's not always the case. Sometimes you need to compromise for the greater good. This is something that Dumbledore should have taught you a while ago."

Harry continued to eye her suspiciously. Liliana continued:

"When he came that evening to Hogwarts his intention was to kill me and make his final Horcrux using Salazar's sword. His idea was perfect: he would ruin Igor's plan to keep me alive and train me, he would use the artefact, and finally he would get rid of the last heir of the Slytherin, me. However something happened that evening. I fought him and refused to tell him where the sword was. Losing his patience, he tortured me, then he decided he would kill me. As he was ready to do it, something happened between us. A sort of wave magical energy surged between us. I felt it too, it was overwhelming. I had had the feeling before that every time I would destroy a Horcrux, I was also affected, but that evening I became aware of it: there is some kind of connection between me and Riddle. He also realised that and instead of killing me, he took me to the Manor."

Liliana frowned slightly before continuing. Harry absorbed her words in rapt attention. He could not believe she could be so open with him for once.

"I knew I unintentionally bought some time for myself, but it would not take much time until he would change his mind. I was too much of a danger to him. He had even covered my face so that his followers wouldn't know I was a Slytherin... When he called for me, I knew by his reaction that the moment he would kill me was not far. I was determined to survive."

Liliana took a deep breath. She knew it was unlikely that Harry would understand. He had also been carefully raised under Dumbledore's surveillance, but the Headmaster had never counted on Harry to dispose of Voldemort. Harry was being protected just until the right moment for him to die. This was something that Harry would never find out.

"I have always been taught that I needed to survive to defeat Voldemort. I was Igor's and my family's vengeance and last hope. I was trained since my birth to destroy him. At Hogwarts, Dumbledore has taken over the task entrusted by Igor. After all the investment done, I would not go down so easy."

"It was not easy to compromise for me either, Potter!" Liliana snapped under Harry's cynical stare. "I'm not afraid of dying. That's not why I did it. My mission was not over, it hadn't even started for that matter. Before I die, I have to take Voldemort with me, can't you see? "

Harry bowed his head in thought.

"So it was you after all. Even Dumbledore thinks you are the Chosen One. That's why he stopped involving me in his affairs at the beginning of the year. It's because of the connection between you and Voldemort."

"Harry, I don't care about any Chosen One, I don't believe in such things. He destroyed my home and he killed my parents. I'm seeking vengeance against him; that is all. I know I will not have peace while I have not taken my revenge. Maybe Dumbledore did change his plans, but that may be because he intends to use me to destroy the Horcruxes. As for the connection between me and Riddle, Dumbledore is not aware of how powerful it is or of its nature."

Harry did a double take.

"You did not tell him?"

"Dumbledore does not trust me. He is prejudiced against Dark Magic and against anything related to the Slytherins in general. But I have to put up with him until my job here is done."

"So am I the only one who knows about this connection?"

"You and Draco," Liliana pointed out.

"What did Malfoy say?"

"He's very worried as it is. That's why I don't want to mention anything about Riddle coming to Hogwarts."

Harry stood and took a few steps in the direction of Salazar's statue.

"I know. He wanted to come for you at the Manor ALONE. That was insane."

"That's why I have to keep this secret from him. In any case, we will be on our way to find the Horcruxes and the Deathly Hallows soon. Even if Riddle returns here, he will no longer find me."

A few moment passed by in silence, while Harry processed all the information suddenly pouring on him.

"The effects of the potion...do they work both ways? You also can't hurt Voldemort?"

"I can hurt him as much as I want," Liliana replied. "Only the person who has received the benefit of the potion feels grateful. I don't think Rowena Ravenclaw thought about it. It's just a side effect."

Harry was silent again. He was wondering about the possible connection between Liliana and Voldemort. Could it be because they were related? Maybe he had been too hard on her. He remembered his previous years at Hogwarts when people had been talking behind his back that he was the Heir of Slytherin, that he had been lying about Voldemort returning...He thought he could understand why she had tried to distance herself from the other students, from him, from Dumbledore... why she was hiding this connection.

"Last year I feared I was slowly turning into Voldemort...that he was taking control of me. Every day I discovered how similar we were in so many ways..." he said, lost in his thoughts.

She looked at him surprised: "You and Riddle? I have never seen two more different people," she confessed, confused. Harry turned around to face her.

She seemed to hesitate before adding: "About that night...I am very grateful to you. I know you probably regret coming for me, but I am still grateful. You truly are...different from what I expected."

Harry walked until he was in front of her and Liliana got up from the chair.

"Or maybe I was just playing hero again," Harry said. "Maybe I was trying to prove I am the Chosen One."

"Were you really?" She sounded disappointed.

Harry smirked. "If you still don't know why I came there that night, then you are truly hopeless, Karkaroff."

Liliana wavered under his piercing emerald stare. "What do you mean?"

"Remember the day we played the Quidditch match? Remember how we fell when competing for the Snitch?"

Liliana nodded, embarrassed.

"How about when Peeves threw his Dungbombs at us?"

She eyed him a little apprehensively. She did not like where he was going.

"And that time when Snape caught us in the Dungeons?"

"Harry..."

"And when I saved you that evening and you were curled all around me while flying back to Hogwarts?"

Liliana was completely avoiding Harry's eyes by now.

"Well, add all these, and maybe you figure it out, Karkaroff."

With that Harry stepped away and started for the entrance to the Chamber: "I won't tell Malfoy or the others about Voldemort coming here. Good night, or morning for that matter."

When Liliana looked up, he had already left the room.

* * *

Draco looked around the Chamber of Secrets and smirked at the sight of everything in pieces. Every time Karkaroff and he had a duel they had a talent to destroy the room. It took an eternity to repair all the things. Fortunately, the books had escaped the disaster.

"We _really_ are getting better," Liliana said sending another dark curse at Draco, who parried it with ease. "Imagine your dad seeing you now."

"If I look back I realise he was only trying to take care of his own weaknesses through me," Draco replied. "He would probably be pleased to see that I have surpassed him, and I'm just a 6th year student, after all."

"To be honest, I think both you and I would have no problem taking on the Death Eaters and eliminating them. The only real problem is still Tom," Liliana acknowledged.

They started to repair the objects around and the walls of the room.

"He's too strong for us you think? Even for both of us together?" Draco asked meditatively.

Liliana sighed: "Aside the fact that he's made himself immortal, which renders _Avada Kedavra_ useless against him, he really is the most powerful wizard I have seen."

"You think he's stronger than Dumbledore?" Draco inquired, a little worried.

"I have not seen Dumbledore produce any innovative spells. Riddle can fly without a broom. He's made himself immortal. I will not rely too much on Dumbledore. He's old and outdated."

"That's why you are doing all this on your own. You don't trust anyone to protect you."

"I trust you Draco," she replied. "That's enough for me."

"If you trust me that much, then maybe you should tell me who that guy you were with last evening was."

Liliana did not answer, continuing to repair the objects.

"Come'on Karkaroff," Draco said exasperatedly, trying to grab her arms playfully. "We have no secrets between us, do we?"

Her eyes sparkled for a moment, getting into his game.

"Oh really, Malfoy? See if you can get the information from my mind, let's see!"

Malfoy jumped to the challenge, and bringing his wand up instantly, he yelled:

"_Legilimens_!"

She repelled him after a moment, but it was already too late. Draco had seen exactly the memory that Liliana had been trying to banish from her mind the entire day.

"Damn, you really enjoyed yourself last night, Karkaroff," Draco sniggered. "What an intense snogging session! Now I know why you wanted to hide it so badly."

Liliana's spell hit him square in the chest, knocking him painfully on his butt, his clothes completely drenched.

"Easy, Karkaroff. I was just teasing you," Draco said, getting up and drying his clothes. He closed the distance between them. "Come on, tell me. Who is he?"

"Some random guy. I was very disappointed when I discovered that he was a half-blood. That's when the small accident happened. Will you cut me some slack, I don't ask you any sordid details about your relation with Weaselette."

Draco looked disappointed.

"I was hoping for a more interesting story, Karkaroff."

"Like when Narcissa caught _us_ snogging in second grade?" Liliana inquired, amused. "I still remember getting punished for that."

"But now we are alone, and no one can catch us," Draco said, dangerously continuing to close the distance between them. "Let's see if I am still the best kisser in the wizarding world."

This time Liliana did not use magic to push Draco back, bursting into laughter at the same time.

"We are so over this, Malfoy!"

Draco pursed his lips in mock disappointment.

"You don't know what you're missing, Karkaroff."

Liliana continued to laugh. She always felt so good around Draco. Just like children again.

"So Potter did not do anything this time," Malfoy concluded repairing the last item, Liliana's desk.

Her serene expression changed for a moment and she looked away.

"No, he was just there at the wrong moment."

Malfoy put his wand away wondering why she always seemed to avoid talking about Potter. It was time to see Dumbledore.

* * *

The day coincided with the first day of winter holidays. As usual, Harry watched the other students leave the school. Only this time, he was not alone, and the next days were anything but vacation for him. He said good bye to both Ron and Hermione, who were returning home for Christmas.

During the copious dinner to which neither Malfoy nor Liliana showed up, Harry got an owl from Dumbledore to come and join him in his office at 9 o'clock that very evening. It seemed that the plan was ready to be put into action.

When he entered Dumbledore's office, he found Dumbledore and Snape discussing something rather feverishly. It was not Dumbledore's style, always so kind and composed. They stopped talking as soon as he entered, and Harry knew immediately that it was not a good sign. Dumbledore forced a smile and Snape turned away from him, approaching the window.

"Good you're here, Harry." Dumbledore said. "Have a seat. Would you like a vanilla biscuit?"

"No, thank you, Professor, I already had many sweets at dinner." Harry sat on a chair expectantly, but Dumbledore did not say anything else, absorbed in some parchment he seemed to be reading.

A few minutes later, the two Slytherins burst laughing through the door and Harry knew that they must have been practicing spells in the Chamber of Secrets. Malfoy seemed delighted, and for a moment, Harry felt envious because he could not join the fun.

"Do you mind not demolishing the school property, Miss Karkaroff, Mr Malfoy?" Snape drawled, narrowing his eyes at them.

"Sorry, Professor," Liliana said, her smile fading, as she noticed Harry sitting quietly in a corner.

Draco muttered something unintelligible. Dumbledore got up from his armchair.

"Good, everyone's here. Mr Malfoy, close the door, if you may."

Draco did as told, while Liliana went to sit as usual on the window sill.

Dumbledore examined all of them above his moon-shaped spectacles, before announcing in a serious tone:

"As I explained to you a while ago, it's time to accelerate our search for a number of items which are supposed to help us destroy Voldemort. As everyone has now left, we have a lot more freedom on our hands. I will tell the teachers remaining at Hogwarts that I need to take care of my health for a while. Severus will stay here. Officially, the three of you will also be on holidays somewhere. "

Nobody spoke, waiting for him to continue.

"We will split up. Harry and myself will be looking for the remaining Horcruxes. Miss Karkaroff, you and Draco will need to find the Deathly Hallows, or at least the Elder Wand. We will need that item to defeat Voldemort."

"You said that before Headmaster, and I've given it some thought," Liliana said from the window, without looking at them. "It's possible that Riddle may be looking for the Elder Wand as well, especially now that I took his." She took out the wand from her pocket and swirled it between her fingers. "But it seems to me that going after objects that only theoretically exist is a big waste of time right now. Shouldn't we all look for the Horcruxes instead?"

"The Elder Wand is indispensable if we want to defeat him. He's stronger than ever now. As for the three of you, neither of you is prepared to face him. The Elder Wand will be our guarantee."

Liliana did not press the matter further. She knew she was still no match for her cousin. Before confronting him she had no clear idea just how powerful he really was. She came back to the matter of the Horcruxes.

"How many do you assume Riddle made?" she asked Dumbledore.

The Headmaster sighed. "Igor Karkaroff wrote in his letter to me that they should be 6."

Glacial silence seemed to fall for a few moments in the room.

Snape threw Dumbledore a sideway glance.

"Professor," Harry broke the silence, "is it possible to make that many? How could he split his soul into so many pieces?"

"He surely is one of a kind," Liliana said darkly, turning to Dumbledore. "I think he wanted to make a seventh with Salazar's sword, but he failed."

"His soul is certainly highly unstable," Draco smirked, still in a good mood. "Do you know what they are and where they are, Professor?"

"I don't know, Draco. So far we have found three and destroyed them."

"What were they?"

"Riddle's diary, a ring he always used to wear in his school days and Slytherin's locket. They can be anything."

"I don't think they could be just anything, Headmaster," Liliana said. "He's too much of a snob. The objects must mean something to him, they must be some kind of trophies. He went through some trouble just for Salazar's sword. He was keen to have it." She grabbed the locket from under her sweater and looked at it. "Maybe they are all objects having something to do with Salazar. That ring you destroyed...do you know its provenance?"

Snape interrupted:

"Headmaster, Miss Karkaroff may be right: didn't you tell me some time ago that the Dark Lord tried to get his hands on Gryffindor's sword as well?"

"Severus, you're right!" Dumbledore exclaimed. "The the other two objects should logically be..."

"Hufflepuff cup and Ravenclaw diadem," Snape muttered, while the three students looked at him with some perplexity.

"Absolutely. As for the sixth Horcrux, I can bet it is Nagini."

"I can't believe I had the chance to kill that snake." Liliana said, exasperated.

"Good thing you did not, Miss Karkaroff. If we kill that snake, Voldemort will know he's in immediate danger. That is the last Horcrux we need to destroy. First, Harry and I have to find the other two."

"Nobody has seen these objects for centuries," Snape remarked, a little gloomy.

"Well, if Riddle found them, so can we," Harry said. "Professor, remember who brought Voldemort's diary?"

"Lucius Malfoy."

Draco threw Harry an ugly look.

"Sorry Malfoy, but your dad caused us a lot of trouble in the past. That diary almost got me killed in my second year. Anyway, as I was saying, it may be that Lucius Malfoy knows where the other objects are. Voldemort must have entrusted them with someone when he was gone."

"Voldemort and my father were never close, despite what you may think, Potter," Draco said. "It seems that Voldemort hated my grandfather Abraxas since their days at Hogwarts. Despite my father's efforts to please him, Voldemort never trusted him. However, he always trusted Aunt Bellatrix. In any case, I would go see father if I were you, maybe he knows something."

"We could always kidnap Bellatrix and torture her until she spilled out some truth about these Horcruxes," Liliana said, rather pleased with the idea.

"I doubt you'd get any truth from my aunt," Draco replied. "She'd rather die than say a word about Voldemort. She's completely devoted to him, you know. My guess is that she fancies him too."

"What?" Liliana asked incredulously, turning to look at Draco.

"More like she's completely infatuated with him. It will only get worse now that he's young and fairly good-looking again," Draco replied extremely amused.

Liliana rolled her eyes, remembering Tom's words at the mansion: _My girls don't like you, cousin._ He must have been aware of these things. She wondered whether Bellatrix was the only female Death Eater in love with Voldemort.

"...In any case, I will contact my father."

"No owls, please Draco. Your parents are in terrible danger as it is. Do you know where they are?"

"They are in France in a safehouse. Can we go there, Professor?"

"I can go," Snape said quickly. "I'll go there tonight and talk to Lucius."

"I'll go with you, otherwise it's unlikely father will say anything to you."

"The question is what has happened to Voldemort after the Aurors showed up at the Manor," Harry said thoughtfully. "He must have fled."

"The Aurors found nothing of interest at the Manor. I think Voldemort took with him everything which was important, including objects that belonged to your family, Draco. I'm sorry." Dumbledore said.

"There is a way to know where Voldemort is now and what he's up to," Liliana said. "In fact, it's important to know if he travels anywhere."

She jumped from the window and came to ask something quietly to Draco. He nodded.

"Professor, could you give me a piece of parchment and an envelope?"

Dumbledore complied with the request wondering what she was doing. Liliana scribbled a few words on the parchment and folded it, putting it in the envelope. She then tapped it with her wand. On the envelope she wrote "Ralph Parkinson".

"I'll be back in a minute," she said.

"Looks like Miss Karkaroff has a spy in Voldemort's camp. Not bad." Dumbledore remarked casually.

Silence fell for a few moments.

"Regarding the Deathly Hallows..." Draco began. "Any idea where those objects might be?"

Dumbledore, who had become engrossed in his parchments again, made a sign to wait. He wanted Liliana to be present as well.

Draco exchanged a glance with Harry. All evening Draco had been under the impression that there was even more tension between the Boy Who Lived and heiress of Slytherin than before. It was starting to bother him. He was rather content that they were leaving soon.

Liliana re-appeared after a few minutes. Dumbledore did not ask any questions. Instead, he pulled a book from his desk's drawer. It was a children's book Draco and Liliana were well familiar with.

"Sir, I hope you know more about the Deathly Hallows than it is written in that book," Draco said, half-sarcastically, half-alarmed.

"I know these objects are real, Draco. I think you should start your research at Ollivander's shop."

"Ollivander was kidnapped by the Death Eaters some time ago," Draco retorted, starting to lose his good mood. "He's nowhere to be found."

"Actually," Harry contradicted, "he was in your Manor's dungeons the night we rescued Liliana. Voldemort has him."

They looked at each other in horror for a few moments.

"We have no choice, but to return to wherever Riddle is. Ollivander has to be with them. Headmaster, may I see Riddle's ring once more?" Liliana asked.

Reluctantly, Dumbledore took the ring out of the drawer and levitated it together with Beedle the Bard's book in her direction. Liliana extended her hand and took the ring. She threw Draco the book. She looked closely at the ring for a few moments. Dumbledore was watching her attentively, alarmed, but Liliana returned Marvolo Gaunt's ring to him and turned to Draco:

"We need to go over all the details in that story first, Draco."

"Tomorrow we meet again here to hear from Severus and Draco. Then we can proceed on our respective missions," Dumbledore stated.

"Very well, Headmaster. Let's go, Draco," Snape said, getting close to the fireplace and grabbing a fistful of floo powder. Dumbledore nodded and Snape disappeared a moment later. Draco followed him.

Liliana got up from her place and prepared to leave. She stopped briefly in the door and after a short moment of hesitation said coldly to the Headmaster:

"Draco and I will start with the Elder Wand then."

Harry looked between her and the Headmaster, only to discover that Dumbledore's face has lost its usual kindness and seemed to be set in stone, eyes cold like ice. For the first time, he began to understand that perhaps Liliana's distrust in Dumbledore was not completely unfounded.

A few moments later, Harry made an excuse to leave as well. Dumbledore nodded, distracted, still clutching the golden ugly ring inset with a black stone in his hand.

* * *

**A/N: Many thanks to BlackRoseRaven for betaing the story and to the readers.** **Next chapter to be uploaded very soon. **


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